A presentation on Mental Illnesses and combatting Stigma using my story

What comes to your mind when you hear the word mental illness? Who comes to your mind when you think of a person living with a mental illness? What if we told you I live with a mental illness? Do you know there are over 200 mental illnesses? Why do we stigmatize persons living with a mental illness and sometimes even their loved ones too?

On the 26th of October during one of our World Pulse Ambassadors epic Thriving Thursdays call, I gave a presentation about mental illness with the goal of making mental illness easily understood and calling for action against stigma.

I think using my own story as someone diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder 6 years made many to relate and realize that a mental illness is not mystery and there is no need to stigmatize someone living with a mental illness.

The feedback was amazing and I knew I had done the right thing by bringing my life's work with mental health and mental illnesses to World Pulse.

I have no doubt that henceforth, all who hear this presentation and know me, would doubt that you can live a very productive life with a mental illness diagnosis, if you are aware, educated and take all necessary action to manage the illness - albeit just like someone living with day hypertension or diabetes would do.