Statistics state that 1 in 5 people struggle with mental illness but I’m wondering how many people with mental illness but don’t feel safe and comfortable sharing. The term mental illness carries a stigma that most are ashamed or afraid to carry. I have generalized anxiety disorder along with panick attack disorder but that does not mean that I am my “mental illness” just as someone with high blood pressure isn’t labeled as such. Everyone has struggles and issues and should be able to express themselves and seek out the positive in life! I am optimistic about life and know that the options are endless.. the more I share and open up the lighter I feel. I am not alone. You are not alone. I will continue to be open and transparent and Use my anxiety to fuel the fire and view my shortcomings as a strengths that Are continually shaping who I am and giving me goals for who I want to be.

Some say that faith and Mental Illness are like oil and water. If you have enough faith, they say, you will never have mental Illness. I have both anxiety and depression. I believe that faith can act as a guide to help you seek treatments and therapy. Let me be clear here. Whether you pray to a higher power or meditate, or do both, pick among a set of behaviors that might set your mind beyond your pain. You are valuable to this world, even when you are just standing still. My meds and therapy are gifts from God. They help me see the world with greater clarity and with less rumination over how this person or other hurt me. I am not scared about doing my job. I have earned degrees and have gone on to teach what I learned. The time is now to give up on stubbornness. How much time have you wasted? My main message is for you to seek help, especially when you exercise your faith. You are stronger than you think.

Mental Illness is not something that is new to my family. Out of the 4 of us, we all have at least 1 mental illness. My mother struggles with Anxiety, my father and sister are both alcoholics living with Bipolar Disorder. As for me, what don’t I have? At 4 I was diagnosed with ADHD. At 13, Major Depressive Disorder, at 20, an eating disorder not otherwise specified. And at 22, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. A lot for any one person to handle.

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As someone who is still in the midst of high school, learning you have an anxiety disorder doesn’t make being a teen any easier. Over the past year, I’ve learned so much about myself, and mental illness. In society, mental illness is either made to be some kind of trend, or something to hide and be ashamed of. I’ve learned that it is neither. This is a major issue with younger and older people who are facing mental illness for many reasons. Society has taught us to belittle our feelings and things were facing, recognize that “someone always has it worse than you”, and that in general, mental illness is a taboo that should never be spoken about. None of this is true.

More people face mental illness than is really ever heard about. It’s becoming more and more common among people. Yet it is still easy to feel completely alone. Even with recognizing all the people in your life that care about you, it may still seem like you’re stuck in this little dark hole where no one can find you. But i promise, you are so not alone. And you are loved so much more than you realize. 

It’s hard to reach out for help. Whether it’s to speak with a doctor or parent about medication, or to go visit a therapist.The first step in the right direction is always the hardest. But as soon as you do, you’ll realize all of these little “tools” you’re reaching out for, make the world of a difference when coping with your illness. 

My name is Amanda and I struggle with mental illness on a day to day basis. I’ve been diagnosed with OCD, depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Like many others, I struggle with a variety of mental illness. After many doctors appointments, mental breakdowns, and a pharmacy full of trial and error of medications, my mental status has went from being rock bottom to almost completely manageable. There is hope out there for everyone but it usually takes a lot of time and patience. I am beyond happy with the amount of medical resources that are out there for people with mental illness to utilize, however I wish there were more public awareness. Mental illness is a real thing and many people just believe that people like me are “crazy”, which is really not the case at all. I have a chronic illness that I didn’t ask for. It was what I was handed in life so I’ve had to learn to make the best out of the situation. My illness is no different than other chronic illnesses. If more of the population were made aware of mental illness then less people would be ashamed of their illness and more likely be open about their problems and seek medical help. I feel there has not been enough education or awareness given to the general public. Mental illness is something that is real and is here to stay, so it is more than important for awareness to increase. On another note, I would like to encourage everyone struggling with any type of mental illness to never give up on anything. Throughout my struggles, I have managed to balance caring for my 3 children, school, and a full time job. I’m not going to lie and say it has been easy because it hasn’t been. I have trusted in God and just told myself repeatability to never give up. I could go on and on and on about everything I’ve been through but I’m not because one, you will be reading for days and two, I have found it’s better to push your hardest to overcome your battles and avoid dwelling on things that can’t really be reversed. The best advice I can give is to be happy, live happy, and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. Just remember you can overcome any kind of obstacle or speed bump in life. Yes, it would be easier if the whole world understood our problems, but for now, until there is more awareness, we’ve got to help each other and lean on God and on the people who love us. I wish anyone with any extent of mental illness the best of luck. I can only pray that one day more people will be more understanding to these illnesses.

“Mental Illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all’ Hi I’m Audrey and this is my story. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, Panic disorder, major depression and somatization almost one year ago in the hospital, but because of the stigma that people with mental illness face, I thought I was crazy. Since then I have received much support from family, friends, professionals and even strangers who have each changed my life in small and big ways. I now know I am not crazy: I am one of every four Americans that face mental health challenges. I no longer fake my smile, and I can tell you that I like myself more like this with my real smile, even if it doesn’t always shine through. Anxiety and depression told me I couldn’t so I did. They told me not to get out of bed: not to risk it. So I defied them. I jumped to soaring heights above anything I believed. I now feel joy to be me even on hard days. I wish you a wonderful day filled with hope, and the knowledge that you are not alone.  Love,  Audrey(:

Hi, my name is Janay Monique Matthews and I have so much to share to you about my own journey through mental illness and my other disabilities I was born with. When I was born, I had so many odds going against me. I was born with a neurological disorder, cerebral palsy, ADHD, a learning disability (dyslexia), and tremor in my left leg, seizures, and a hole in my heart but it closed up. With this, the doctors though that there was no hope and that I was not going to make it past age 12. I'm Black girl who grew up in poverty and abuse. My mother has the narcissistic personality disorder with bipolar and I was abused for many years and decades by her and many others. She favorites biracial people with their so called “good hair" and thus, I thought lowly of myself thinking that I was genetically inferior and wasn’t human or up to standard. I was also sexually abused for nearly 2 years from September 2004 to May 2006 by my godfather who died in cancer in December 2006. With all of this I was also bullied, teases, drowned, screamed, and yelled at harshly by kids and adults and some teachers didn’t have high expectations of me. Some doctors, psychologists, nurses and social workers thought very lowly of me too. With all the abuse that I endured at home, I ran away a few times and got caught to be sent to the hospital. I was first diagnosed with anxiety. After graduating college in May 2012, I was worried,

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The pain that’s associated with the diagnosis of a loved one with Mental illness, such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Suicide, Self Harm, Substance Abuse is and can be very stressful and depleting on the loved ones caring for the individuals with the diagnosis. I have learned from my experiences with my daughter that it takes a lot of Love, Patience and Compassion in order to be their support system which is not at all an easy task, for the simple fact that they perceive you to be against them in spite of you trying your hardest to help and support them. by the way i’ve experienced all these diagnosis with my daughter who was 17 when I began to see these behaviors began to unfold. She’s now 21 and have had many hospitalization and so many issues with staying out of trouble with the law as a result of making poor choices. The treatment options that was offered for her didn’t work because she wouldn’t participate unless she was in the hospital, so after she was released from the hospital the cycle would just repeat itself. There  were times when I didn’t know where to turn for help, I felt desperate so I would search for answers and resources on websites that’s designed for mental health just to find none or ending back to starting point. 

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I was diagnosed with my mental illness when I was 23 and in the military. I most likely could have been diagnosed as a child but I did not seek professional help. 

When diagnosed with anxiety and depression the only knowledge I had of mental illness was my own personal family experience. I did no research and just assumed that was it for me I thought to myself that I was now this way and had no control over how I behaved or the way I thought. 

I lived this way for many, many years. It was not until I later in life when I gained support and knowledge. Prior I never shared that I “was different” to anyone. I never spoke about it and I was ashamed. When I started talking to individuals who had personal experience of their own I slowly began to become more open with others, and most importantly myself. 

I few years after I gained knowledge and coping skills I was offered an opportunity to work as a Peer Specialist. I began to share my story and my success and things I used in my own tool box to help others in their recovery process. I was able to encourage and support people with something that used to plague me and that I allowed to hold me down. I was than able to become a Certified Peer Specialist, this offered me the opportunity to help more people and continue to offer hope all with my experience. 

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