Did you know that 1 in 5 Americans battle a mental illness? I bet you didn’t know that that's more Americans affected by mental illnesses than heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Only 25% of adults who experience mental health concerns actually believe that other people are caring and empathetic to those who suffer from a mental illness.

What's even worse than people neglecting mental illness is the stigma associated with those who have a mental illness. Stigma is defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. Did you know that stigma and discrimination against those with a mental illness can actually worsen their mental health concerns, or even keep them from seeking out treatment due to shame and embarrassment?

We all hear the stigma, and most of us are even guilty of stigmatizing. What does it mean to stigmatize? Stigmatizing means to devalue someone's experience of a mental illness or claiming it false or unimportant, both consciously and unconsciously.

How many times do you hear someone say "Just get over it" or "it's not a big deal you're being dramatic?" The truth is that individuals that have a mental illness CANNOT just "get over it."

Do you tell someone who suffers from asthma to just "breath?"

Do you tell someone who has cancer to "suck it up?"

Why is it that people refuse to realize that a shortage or excess of one or more neurotransmitters in the brain is not something you can just "get over?"

Mental illness is a disorder, not a decision. That is the stigma.

Why do we live in a world where if you break your arm, everyone comes to sign your cast, but when you feel depressed, everyone runs the other way? Why is it that when you fall and get hurt, people pick you up, but when you feel anxious, people pay no attention to you?

That is the Stigma. The stigma that mental health concerns are not real and not important. This is pure ignorance.

Stigmatizing means using language that incorrectly attempts to describe a mental illness.

We all hear people say things like, "that exam gave me PTSD," "sorry I'm so OCD" or "She's so bi-polar." These are inaccurate statements that present a false idea of a mental illness.

You are not obsessive-compulsive because you want your room to be clean, and your friend is not bi-polar because she was sad this morning and now she's happy.

These statements are disrespectful and damaging because of their inaccuracy, as well as their failure to recognize the seriousness and reality of what living with a mental illness is truly like.

Stigma provokes inaccurate assumptions of those living with a mental illness. Actually, stigma is no different than a stereotype. Did you know that individuals who suffer from a mental illness are more likely to be a victim of crime rather than the crime starter?

Why do we support these stigmas in the media, movies and in our own personal lives when the statistics, evidence and reality of mental illnesses say otherwise?

Why is someone considered "crazy" for battling a mental illness? Why do we create false assumptions and beliefs instead of developing empathy for those who need it? Why do we shame and devalue those who need our support?

Even worse, why do we realize these truths and make no effort to change them? Why do we accept a world we claim to be unhappy with, but refuse to take the steps to change it?

Mental illnesses are nothing to be ashamed of, and neither is talking about them. We need to change the culture of this topic and make it acceptable to speak about. Only then will we able to facilitate change, leading to acceptance and wellness.