Mental illness is a virtually invisible disease. You cannot tell (in most cases) just by looking at someone if they are mentally ill or how much someone is suffering. I personally have suffered in silence almost all my life in fear of what others may think of me. There is a lot of stigmas, prejudice, discrimination and misinformation about mental illness. Because of this, people are afraid to admit they need help and they suffer in silence. This is a heavy burden for a lot of people to bare and in my opinion is a contributing factor in suicide. In my own personal experience with this, I lost friends and I lost contact with family members over mental illness and a substance abuse disorder. As a soon to be peer recovery specialist, I plan to advocate and put myself on the front line, so to speak. I plan to speak up for others that are too afraid and to work with patient's families by educating them on their disorder. Mental health has brought me from deep depression to a more determined person over the years. My goal now is to help as many people as I can. Even if it is just being there for someone. I am rebuilding my life now at 42 years of age. I have regained friends and mended some relationships with family. I understand the struggles that come with mental health I have learned to change my mindset and to ignore the stigmas and prejudice that come with mental illness. I learned that I need to be stronger mentally. My understanding of the world has changed over the years as well. As a youth, I was bullied and teased by family and peers because of my disorders, which created a lot of hate inside of me. Through mental health professionals, I have learned to let go of most of this hate. I know how other people can affect you in this world but refuse to let them now. I now have a positive outlook on life. I am now enrolled at South University as a psychology major to become a counselor and I am currently training to become a certified peer recovery specialist. I share my personal experiences to help others. Mental health is important to me and by raising awareness it can become important to others as well. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share.

Mental illness is a virtually invisible disease. You cannot tell (in most cases) just by looking at someone if they are mentally ill or how much someone is suffering. I personally have suffered in silence almost all my life in fear of what others may think of me. According to NIMH's website, "Mental illness now affects about 20% of the U.S. adult population. That is 1 in 5 people. In children it is about 1 in 6 diagnosed with a mental, behavioral and or developmental disorder." Yet there is a lot of stigmas, prejudice, discrimination and misinformation about mental illness. Because of this, people are afraid to admit they need help or they suffer in silence. This is a heavy burden for a lot of people to bare and in my opinion is a contributing factor in suicide and abuse. In my own personal experience with this, I lost friends and I lost contact with family members over mental illness and a substance abuse disorder. Unfortunately, it is going to take more than one person to change this. What I can do is start a conversation about this topic. As a soon to be peer recovery specialist, I plan to advocate and put myself on the front line, so to speak. I plan to speak up for others that are afraid too and to work with patient's families by educating them on their disorder. I am now enrolled at South University in psychology to become a counselor and I am currently training to become a certified peer recovery specialist. I have overcome many obstacles throughout my life and I didn't always succeed, but I have learned and grown from every one of them. I have never given up on myself and have no plans of doing so. I'm now more determined than ever to succeed. I hope I can use my life experiences to help others. At the very least, it should help me relate to others with similar problems. Because of all I have been through, it has made me a stronger and more determined person. I hope that some of what I have been through can be used in someone else's life. If I can change just one person's life then I have succeeded. I have made positive changes in my life and will encourage others to do the same. I will make a positive impact on the world by helping others do the same.