I stated in the previous post that there are 2 causes dear to my heart. Breast Cancer being the first and the second is Mental Illness. World Mental Health Day is on October 10th, 2021 and depending where you live some countries have their Mental Health Awareness week starting October 3th and ending on the 10th, while some have their week starting on the 10th and run through the 16th.

Not until well known figures started talking about their own struggles with mental illness is the stigma of mental illness slowly disappearing. A few of these people who advocate for mental illness are:

• Kiera Knightley – PTSD & Anxiety
• Demi Lovato – Addiction
• Katy Perry – Depression
• Ariana Grande – Anxiety & PTSD
• Serena Williams – Postpartum Depression (PPD)
• Shawn Mendes – Anxiety
• Lady Gaga – PTSD
• Kristen Bell – Anxiety & Depression
• Ryan Reynolds – Anxiety
• Charlize Theron – Depression
• Janet Jackson – Depression
• Chrissy Teigen – Depression

Some of the main disorders are depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, substance abuse disorder, personality disorders and eating disorders, but there are many more sub disorders.

There is a lot of work still to do. Even though we are shining a light on mental health there are certain types that still need to be desensitized. I say that because people don’t want to talk about something that they’re afraid of. Movies often portray mental illness to the extreme so it’s hard to desensitize the stigma of a psychotic disorder or even PTSD.

It was very hard when I was first diagnosed with Depression. My uncle didn’t believe in it at all. My mother didn’t know what to think however she did understand the signs of postpartum depression. I often had to suffer in silence because even my closest friend didn’t want to talk about it. Having to bottle up my emotions for so long it was very hard to start talking and to this day I still struggle. Years later I was then diagnosed with severe anxiety. This made it even more confusing.

I think of it this way: Depression is living in the past and Anxiety is living in the future. You have to find the middle ground and live for today to feel at peace.

Until Next Time,

Donna