7 reasons I speak up about mental health

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I grew up with a perception of mental health that was skewed in the way I assume it is for a lot of people. I thought you had to be really crazy to see a therapist. I believed that you either did or you didn’t have a mental illness and it didn’t occur to me that it’s really a spectrum that everyone is on. I reckoned that I probably knew a few people with some kind of “mild” mental illness, but didn’t know that one in four Americans struggles with a mental illness in any given year (NAMI). 

Boy, was I wrong about a lot of things. But I didn’t know that until I sought treatment myself and had years of experience in the therapeutic environment. As my progress with mental health increased, I also took classes on psychology in order to better understand what was going on both with myself and with others. And here I am, running a blog about the very topic that I so deeply misunderstood when I was younger.

So what changed for me to go from a stigmatized and uninformed perception to being a voice for the mentally ill? There are a few major factors.

1. I was so confused and even hurt by the mental health system that I didn’t want anyone else to have to navigate it alone and uninformed. I am empathetic and I truly just want to make this process easier for even just one person. 

2. I heard the stories of others. Whether through reading, classes or conversations, I learned about other people with struggles similar to my own. I realized that I am not alone and that when I speak up for myself, I am also standing up for a whole invisible community.

3. I realized that the mentally ill are underrepresented in society at large. Because there is so much stigma, people don’t always speak up. But silence will not change things and I feel like it’s the right path for me to be vocal about this topic. 

4. I was sick of hiding who I am. Trying to keep up a front of everything being okay was exhausting and just made me feel even worse. While I had a lot of fear about being open, everyone who is close to me now knows that I struggle with mental illness and have (eventually) been great in their responses.

5. I want to do my duty as a citizen. They say that when letters and phone calls are being made to politicians, they estimate that each person speaking up represents over 1000 people who feel the same way. I want to bring another 1000 people’s struggles to attention.

6. I want to live in a world where I can say I have a mental illness the same way others can say they have diabetes or a broken leg. I don’t want a negative, judgmental, uninformed and awkward response. I want the same courtesy and sympathy that is given to those with physical illnesses.

7. I don’t want my mental health issues to be meaningless. These are the cards I have been dealt and I choose to play them in a way that can bring hope and healing to others. 

I acknowledge that it’s a difficult topic to speak about and that not everyone wants to do so. I didn’t either, for a long time. That changed and now this is a large part of who I am.

But you don’t have to create a whole blog to be a part of the conversation. Even a single post on your blog draws attention to the topic. Today is Mental Health Month Blog Day, sponsored by the American Psychological Association. If you submit your post about mental health here today, it will be added to a list along with other people’s posts. Even if you don’t submit anything, check it out to see other people’s contributions. The more informed you are, the better you will be able to address the topic of mental health both personally and publicly.

Why do you speak up about mental health? Or what stops you from doing so? Join the discussion in the comments.