Grace describes her feeling about mental illness

Mental illness  is very complex. We want to assign illnesses to specific characteristics and labels. If you don’t fit into the box we invalidate the person or deny them the support they deserve. I think it is convenient to label people then expect them to act out in a certain way.

I’m Grace and this is my journey

I live with bipolar disorder. It started in middle school. I was starting to sleep alot more than normal, I didn’t want to hang out with my friends, I wasn’t motivated to do my school work. It progressively got worse. It became really bad my sophmore year in high school. I was completely a slave to my bipolar disorder. I …

I’m Emily and this is my journey

My senior year things started to change. I noticed that there was change in the way that I perceived myself. I started having panic attacks. My anxiety started to affect my relationships with other people. The way you are feeling and what you are going through is valid.

I’m Max and this is my journey

I experienced depression. I started to not be myself anymore. I went to school and didn’t talk to anyone. I realized it wasn’t going to get better for me and I tried to hurt myself but I just couldn’t do it.  Because in that moment I thought of all the people that support me.

I’m Carley and this is my journey

Carley, I live with excoriation. It’s a coping mechanism that I know is not healthy. It’s so important to talk about mental health because it’s not something I can just stop.

I’m Beth and this is my journey

I’m Beth and I lost my 21 year son to suicide. I struggled with the grief and subsequently the depression. The stigma is what’s crazy. I wholeheartedly believe that mental health is not any different than physical health.