I Am A Mental Health Advocate

I recently got this little green ribbon tattooed on the outside of my wrist so that people could see it. I want people to look up the cause for the green ribbon (if they don't already know what it is), and think, "Wow. This person cares about people's mental health." I want people to know that even if we don't know each other, they can come talk to me about what's going on in their lives and how they're feeling. I don't want people to feel alone and like they can't talk to anybody. I want the entire world to know that I am a mental health advocate.

I am a mental health advocate because I don't believe in the stigma against it. Mental health is just as important as physical health. I believe that it's not fair that some people can't get the help they need because it costs so much to see a therapist, psychiatrist, or to pay for their medicine. It's not fair that not everybody has someone they feel comfortable to talk to. It's not fair that not everybody is educated on the different mental illnesses

I am a mental health advocate because I myself suffer from a few mental health disorders. Most people in my life know this because I don't believe in not talking about it. I believe in being open and honest about how some days I can't get out of bed, or that I don't eat enough, or that I used to harm myself. I believe that talking about my own mental illnesses helps others.

I am a mental health advocate because most people in my life have or is currently dealing with a mental health disorder. A lot of my friends have major anxiety problems or eating disorders, for example. Even if you personally do not have a mental illness, someone you know does.

I am a mental health advocate because I lost my brother to mental illness. For almost ten years he refused to receive treatment for his mental illnesses because there is a huge, ugly stigma against bipolar disorder. I am just one person this has happened to; I don't want anybody else to have to.

I am a mental health advocate because 1 in 5 adults in America are diagnosed with a mental disorder each year, as well as 1 in 5 teenagers. I am a mental health advocate suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in America in ages 10 to 34. I am a mental health advocate because there are an average of 121 suicides per day in America.

There are many reasons why I am a mental health advocate: For myself, for my friends and family, for strangers. I encourage you to be a mental health advocate, too.