This past week, I had the pleasure of attending an event put on my school’s Counselor Outreach Peer Educator (COPE) group. As part of their COPE Well Week, they invited the group "Art With Impact" to put on event called “Movies For Mental Health” as a way to discuss mental illness and discuss the all too important issue of stigmatization.

And boy, did it have an impact. The presentation began with defining mental illness, mental health, and stigma. It was here the first myth was dispelled, of what is actually considered mental illness. While many would say it's only extreme diseases such as schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, it actually encases a whole range of disorders from anxiety to bipolar disorder, OCD to addiction and so much more.

Then the audience was asked to name movies that dealt with mental illness and the traits associated with these characters. Examples included Jack Nicholson’s OCD author in "As Good As It Gets," Russell Crowe’s schizophrenic genius in "A Beautiful Mind" and Logan Lerman’s depressed/anxious/PTSD teenager in "Perks Of Being A Wallflower."

Next came four short films submitted by students across the country that dealt with several different mental illnesses. These films, all three minutes and under were breathtaking, eye-popping and most of all, beautiful.

The first film had a simple purpose: to illustrate how suffocating and isolating mental illness can be. As the actor went through his day with his fingers caught in a Chinese finger trap, he experiences the daunting effects of stigma and judgment from society. By setting this standard, the audience could now better understand this concept.

The second was a narration of teenage girl, one tortured by depression. As she walks down a city street at night, she unveils her reality: four to five days a week, she cannot get out of the bed. The other two or three? She feels perfectly fine. She laments that her social life only exists because of the heroic act she puts on in public. Lastly, she credits her mother, for being the sole reason she has not stepped over the edge yet. In the final scene, as she contemplates walking in front of traffic, she is stopped by a hand on her shoulder, where she encourages viewers to be that hand, to be that difference.

The final two films certainly made their impacts, although silently. The first is titled “ADHD: Do You Really Have It?” This title suggested two common problems associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: people use it as an excuse for a laziness, or they refuse to accept that they are coping with a mental illness. Within the film itself, it also addressed another important stigma: that ADHD is only for kids, as the main character was an adult male, and a father. He went through spans of jumping around from one task to another, and when his food started to burn on the stove, the impulsivity of his disease jumped in and he immediately threw it all away.

After this, he shifted to a less known aspect of ADHD, which is becoming hyper-focused on one task. In this case, he obsessively cleaned the kitchen, his mind locked away from any distractions, which included picking up his daughter from school. Reactions to the film were expected, as many didn’t realize how life-consuming the illness could be, or that ADHD could even be considered a mental illness.

The last film of the evening, also with no spoken narration, highlighted three of the most common mental illnesses, especially among young adults: OCD, anxiety and eating disorders. The video portrayed three college students going through their daily life. The girl with OCD was an aspiring dancer, who missed the auditions because she struggled with her illness, such as counting the walls in her room and zipping and unzipping her dance bag until time had run out. The next girl suffered from anxiety, re-doing her hair in the bathroom over and over again, choking up when walked into the classroom and frantically writing down all her obligations in a planner, which cumulatively ended up in a panic attack.

The final character defied social stereotype as a male with bulimia. While trying to do homework, he simply could not concentrate while watching a peer eat, which led to his binge eating session, and finally, regurgitating in the bathroom stall. In the ending scene, all three characters were united during a class in which they shared soft smiles and left a question unanswered: did they understand each other’s pain? Or, were they putting on a mask for society?

These questions are ones that largely remain unanswered in our world today. Recently, I read Patrick Kennedy’s new book "A Common Struggle" in which he entirely delves into the world of his and his family’s battles with mental illness. Coming from such a famous and powerful family, it was difficult for anyone to speak something against the social norm.

However, Patrick realized that no career was worth losing his life and loved ones, so he has made it his mission to fight for mental health parity and destigmatization. Through his own struggles with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and addiction, he came to learn just how many Americans suffer silently from mental illness. By making his battle entirely public and transparent, he hopes to break down the barriers that block anyone from receiving treatment, whether due to money or fear of becoming a pariah.

It is at this point I feel most inspired. Why are we so afraid to talk about what is going on in our heads? Are we scared people won’t believe us? Do we think our communities will ostracize us? Over winter break, a close friend of mine for many years teared up telling me she had started seeing a counselor at her school for issues with anxiety and depression. She expressed how nervous she was to tell me, or to tell anyone.

And to be frank, my heart broke. Why was someone who knew me so well, and knew she could tell me anything, so afraid to talk about this? Had she broken her leg or got sick with mono, she would tell me without skipping a beat. Yet, this was a mountain almost too hard for her to climb. I am proud of her, though, not just for telling me but for taking the first step in getting help, which so many are so regretfully scared to do.

And that makes me think even more, about anyone who takes their own life. There must be some serious war of mental illness raging in their heads, but maybe they are too afraid of what society will think to get help. Too afraid, until its too late.

Truthfully, I’m not sure when America and the world will realize the importance of mental health and treating mental illnesses like any other medical issue. I’m not sure when we will be able to say the stigma has been removed and patients will seek help without fear. I am sure, however, that this is a battle worth fighting, and it's our duty to go to war for it.