By: Sammy Bellisario

Lifestyle Writer for The Stories We Need to Hear Magazine

As time goes on, the stigma against mental health diminishes a bit each year. One of the reasons for this is because of individuals openly discussing their struggles and stories. In the present day, so many brave people have detailed their experiences and how they continue to cope daily. As a young person dealing with severe mental health issues, I was always fearful of sharing my struggles, but I always felt much more understood when I heard someone share the same experiences. I didn’t grow up with parents who had any understanding of mental health. Both of my parents remained pretty stable mentally and couldn’t understand my inability to “change my attitude” and “be more positive.” Since then, I’ve been slowly trying to educate them on mental health and its effect on so many people. They were raised in a time where mental health was much more stigmatized than it is today. It isn’t surprising that they would still struggle to understand it presently.

The reason that stigmas exist is because of a lack of understanding. Educating others and sharing stories is one way we can break down a stigma.

You never know what it’s like in someone else’s shoes. I know so many people who have judged mental illness and ended up experiencing it later in life and realized just how hard it was for those they were judging. I am even guilty of stereotyping and stigmatizing certain mental illnesses that I don’t understand. I try to work on this every day by familiarizing myself with different mental health issues and how they affect those diagnosed with them.

Something else that comes along with the stigma of mental health is the fear of seeking help. Many people feel as though they will look weak if they seek help from someone else. Therapy was definitely not normalized in my family and had never really been done before by anyone else that I knew. I expressed that I needed to talk to someone at the young age of 11. This was extremely hard for me but was something necessary for my growth as a person. Seeking help should be seen as a brave thing to do, not something that is weak. I was so scared to seek help, but truly it changed and potentially saved my life.

Finding the right help is a journey and is different for everyone. I saw three different therapists before I decided which was right for me, and now I’ve been seeing the same woman for ten years. I have built a strong relationship with my therapist and feel comfortable telling her anything. Opening up can be difficult at first, but therapy is always most effective when you feel entirely comfortable sharing. This can take time but is well worth it.

“I was fearful that I would be labeled as *crazy* if I took a stabilizing medication.”

Something else that is frequently stigmatized is taking medication for mental illness. I went many years not taking medication because of the fear of how it might affect me. I am now happily medicated and found the perfect prescription for me. Medication is not for everyone but is a conversation to have with your healthcare provider/ psychiatrist. I was fearful that I would be labeled as “crazy” if I took a stabilizing medication. Once I entered college and opened up about my journey with medication, I realized that many of my friends were taking the same medication as me. This created a bond between us that would have never been built if I hadn’t trusted and opened up to them.

At 22 years old, I have now knowingly struggled with my mental health for a decade. A lot of growth took place in this time. I am now so comfortable talking about my mental health that I share my experiences with everyone I meet. This confidence has come with time. I feel so liberated by openly talking about my struggles and not worrying about what someone may think about me. If this article taught you anything, I hope it’s that there is so much power in opening up and sharing your journey. If you are reading this and don’t struggle with mental health, just know that you have so much power and responsibility to end the stigma. Reading articles like this are a great start. Simply taking the time to learn and understand to the best of your ability will go a long way.