Mental Health Stories

In Her Own Words

Stigma thrives in silence, and the lack of information breeds fear. We need to talk about what mental health challenges look like—humanize it.

Courtney’s Story
Participant Sima sitting and smiling

Sima

Participant Mailiana - person with short brown hair wearing a white shirt smiles in blue and red lighting

Mailiana

A new diagnosis doesn’t mean you are a different person. You just have more information to thrive.
Participant Alejandra - person with brown wavy hair and a purple shirt smiling in front of a bright teal wall

Alejandra

Participant Sylvia - person with long dark hair smiling in front of a fence outside

Sylvia

Participant Jeff - person with short curly brown hair smiling with a golden retriever outside

Jeff

Participant Jen - person with red hair wearing a large hat smiling in front of a doorway

Jen

Participant Amy - person with dark brown hair smiling by a lamp

Amy

Participant Veronique leaning on a wall smiling with arms folded

Veronique

I pushed family away. I didn’t want people to think I was weak due to societal expectations around being a man.
Participant Randall - a person wearing a blue shirt and a black vest in front of a hallway

Randall

Mary sitting with

Mary

Participant Kelsey - person in glasses wearing a denim jacket and smiling

Kelsey

Deconstructing Stigma participant Sampurna - person with curly dark hair poses for camera

Sampurna

Deconstructing Stigma participant Ori - Person in blue shirt stands outside greenery behind

Ori

Participant Melissa - person with long blond hair smiling in front of a body of water

Melissa

Participant Chris - person wearing burgundy shirt smiling outside

Chris

Deconstructing Stigma participant LaKisha - person in a striped shirt with hand to face

LaKisha

Participant Julia - person in red sweater standing in front of yellow building

Julia

Participant Valeria - person with brown hair wearing star-shaped earrings and a red tank top smiling near a set of stone stairs

Valeria

Participant Caroline - person with short brown hair smiling in front of a window and a bookshelf

Caroline

Participant Chezia sitting outside wearing a black t-shirt smiling

Chezia

Participant Jade sitting on a couch with a pen and paper in hand

Jade

Participant Elizabeth - person with long dark hair and glasses smiling outside

Elizabeth

Participant Elissa standing outside wearing a black sweatshirt and a pink scarf

Elissa

Participant Sonya - person with short dark hair on a large rock

Sonya

Deconstructing Stigma participant Leslie

Leslie