Why I’m not ashamed of my mental illness

I’m 18 years old. I have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and PTSD. The world around me suggests that my illness is something that I should be ashamed of- but I’m not.

My mental illness does definitely have the ability to control me but it does not stop me from being a normal person underneath it all. I am not overreacting, I am not attention seeking, I simply have an illness.

My mental illness is making me strong, it is making me a fighter. If I can fight this voice in my head everyday then I can fight pretty much anything life throws at me.
I am not afraid to talk about my mental illness because it is a part of who I am, and is framing and preparing the person I will become.

People don’t understand mental illness because it simply isn’t talked about enough. It is a subject that people try to sweep under a rug- too scared of being judged for it, or too scared to take action for something that people don’t consider a true illness. In the UK, suicide is the number one killer of men under the age of 45, and you really want to tell me that mental illness isn’t a real illness?

It is time that we speak out about mental health. It is time that we end the stigma surrounding mental illnesses. It is time that the people like us get the help and funding that we deserve for being the fighters that we are. It is time that we stop being ashamed of who we are. It is time to change.

Zoe x