When I was first diagnosed, I was embarrassed. I only told my family and closest friends. I judged people who spoke about their mental illness, thinking they only wanted attention. Until I realized, who am I to judge? How do I know it doesn't help them cope? Mental health isn't embarrassing and never should be. If someone was talking about a physical illness would you think they just wanted attention? Probably not. So why think that about mental health?

Mental health issues are so real and so valid. I don't believe that anyone's mental illness is more valid than anyone else's. For example, when I was diagnosed with one of my illnesses, chronic fatigue, I laughed it off and acted like I thought it was a big joke. I knew it was serious but I was embarrassed. I told people I didn't know why I was diagnosed with that. Until I started taking the right medications. I soon realized that it was real and it was valid. I knew that I really did have chronic fatigue and that it really was affecting my everyday life. This is why you should never laugh off your own mental illness. It is not embarrassing or less "severe" than someone else's. Everyone deals with mental illness differently, just like everyone experiences mental illness differently.

You can not judge someone based off of what they say about their mental illness. Maybe they do just want attention, but maybe it helps them cope. Who knows? Mental illness is not embarrassing. It happens to more people than you'd think. Almost everyone I know is affected by mental illness in some way, shape, or form. Let's try to stop the stigma around mental illness by letting people know that it is not embarrassing and that it happens.