To some, May just be another month in the year, but May has been nationally recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month for several years now! I can say from personal experience that it is difficult to admit you have a mental illness, especially with the negative stigma that surrounds them. While physical illnesses are treated with the utmost seriousness, more often than not mental illnesses are not. Why do we have to feel so ashamed about our feelings? Why do we have to feel so ashamed to tell others that we are taking a prescription to help with our anxiety?
Kristen Bell, a famous actress, recently opened up about her battle with anxiety and depression in an interview with "Off Camera." Bell shares with the world why she believes no one should feel ashamed for dealing with these mental illnesses.
“You want to be able to cope with it … I present this cheery bubbly persona … but I check in with myself,” she concluded, adding that no one should feel embarrassed for seeking help. "If you do decide to go on a prescription to help yourself, understand that the world wants to shame you for that, but in the medical community, you would never deny a diabetic his insulin. But for some reason, when someone needs serotonin inhibitor, they're immediately crazy or something.”
We can all take some advice from Bell... We should be keeping track of ourselves and make time for the things that make us most happy. If we need a little help to find this happiness, then so be it! We shouldn't listen to what others think about us. What truly matters is how we perceive ourselves. We cannot deny ourselves happiness. So what if I need a pill to help me overcome my anxieties? If I was able to control these without a pill, believe me, I would! Just like if a diabetic could control his insulin levels on his own he would, so why am I the one that is looked down on?
I am not proud of the fact that I have a mental health issue, but I also don't have shame. I want to encourage everyone who struggles with a mental illness to reach out for the help you deserve! According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five Americans will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime and every American is affected or impacted through their friends and family. Take action today to help others as we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate equal care!
Thank you, Kristen Bell, for stepping up and speaking out on this topic! Now let's support her, and others who battle mental illness, to end the stigma surrounding these illnesses!
For more information on Mental Health Awareness month, or just Mental Health in general, please visit The National Alliance on Mental Illness.
