MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH: Tell Your Story: Stop the Stigma (October 2025)

@tyme

I'll kick it off. Hope this is ok.

I’ve lived with generalised anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD, and health anxiety since 2001. It has been a long road with good stretches and some dark patches, but it has always been a part of my life. Over the years I’ve had times where I’ve felt isolated, misunderstood, or written off by people who didn’t really get what I was going through. That is where stigma bites hardest, not the diagnosis itself but the silence and judgement that can come with it.

For me anxiety shows up in all kinds of ways. Physical symptoms, racing thoughts, and that constant worry about my health even when the doctors tell me I’m fine. It is not always visible but it is very real. On top of that, trying to manage it while balancing work, family, and life has sometimes felt like walking a tightrope.

But here’s the truth. I keep showing up. I’ve raised a son I’m proud of, I’ve built a life in Australia after moving from England, and I work hard every day as a school groundskeeper. I’m not my illness. I’m a dad, a husband, a worker, and a mate. The anxiety is part of me, but it isn’t all of me.

If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is that telling your story matters. Every time someone speaks up it chips away at the silence. And the more we share, the less room stigma has to grow.

So if you’re struggling, don’t keep it in. Talk. Share. Ask for help. You’d be surprised how many people will nod their head and say, “Yeah, me too.”

My experiences with mental illness has made me a more empathetic, considerate and wise person. It's allowed me to be perceptive and notice signs of mental illness in others around me (to check in if they're OK), and through being open about having a mental illness myself it can help others feel safe to talk about how they feel without fear of judgement.

Thanks @tyme for this thread 🙏💛

Honestly, I’m not sure that I do tackle the stigma personally. I consider myself highly functioning, with a few mental health diagnoses under my belt. Sadly, my battles have been kept pretty quiet due to the stigma surrounding mental health, and even now, I don’t think I have any real intention of sharing my struggles openly, apart from with a couple of people who know my diagnosis’s and history.

However, when things get really tough, I don’t share the current situation. That’s a conscious choice, and for me, it feels safest that way.

Unfortunately, that also means nobody has the chance to help or support me. Although I do not reach out for support, maybe, at times, that’s exactly what I need. So, for anyone reading this: reach out and let people help you. If no one knows what you’re dealing with, they can’t support you. And speaking with someone could be what prevents things from getting worse.

I often feel silenced when it comes to my struggles, afraid of being misunderstood, judged, or seen as “less than.” I worry about being perceived as incompetent at work or even as a liability, just to name a few examples.

However, that being said, I fight the stigma around mental health for others who are going through a tough time. They probably don’t know about my own struggles, but I’ll always be one of their strongest supporters and advocate heavily for them.

I truly admire the courage of the members of this amazing community who constantly battle stigma, who are honest and brave enough to speak out or speak their truth. There should be no shame in mental health challenges. We all deserve to be understood, supported, and treated with compassion, just like with any physical illness. 💙

The forum has been one place I have been able to open up and feel comfortable to share some of my stories. I feel normal here. So thanks everyone 🙏

Take care,

Chasingsunsets

Hi Im Phoenix65, 59.

TRIGGER WARNING:

Now in my late 50's, Im picking up the pieces. Depression, Anxiety, CPTSD, trauma, no trust and very wary

This is going to be long… I haven’t written all this out before so let see how this goes 😄

Managing depression and anxiety has been a life long balance for me.

Growing up I had signs of GAD and social anxiety but my parents never took me to a psychologist or psychiatrist for these issues. I had awful self esteem and couldn’t keep friends.

After school I went to tafe and studied a cert 4 in community services work and then a diploma. Still unmedicated, but I did see a psychologist for panic attacks when doing public speaking.

I then went into the community services field and eventually ended up working in youth homelessness and juvenile justice. I loved it! Except one of my managers wasn’t trauma informed and really didn’t care about the wellbeing of the young people in our care. A year after starting a young person (had just turned 16) in our care took her own life in the refuge. I was shattered and kept working in the refuge for another year. Had a breakdown with SI for 6 months, went on antidepressants and was seeing a psychologist.

Had to keep changing jobs in welfare because of burnout.

Left the field 4 years ago and started working at a cattery, which I enjoyed but was used as a vent by the owner. My dad was also venting to me about family and my mum. This was too much for me so I found another job.
I started schema therapy while at the cattery and it changed my life for the better. Learning to be my own healthy adult and connect with my vulnerable child was damn hard but worth it.

Last year I started working for a well known grocery chain as a delivery driver. I had a colleague befriend me and start venting about managers. I unfortunately gave this person my mobile and they were texting me walls of texts about work on my days off. I ended up in emergency for self harm and SI.
I went to a psychiatrist for a medication as I had been feeling my medication wasn’t working. I didn’t think I could make it through the tapering on and off so I didn’t change medication. I made an appointment with my psychologist but cancelled. My husband and I were also in the process of buying an apartment.

I changed jobs and was working as a meter reader. My husband was made redundant from his job. I hurt myself at work and was on light duties for two weeks. I was already avoiding socialising but I started avoiding work and my husband and I started to struggle financially. SI kicked in and I thought my death would allow my husband to lead his life comfortably. I had detached all emotion for my cats so wasn’t worried about them.

The rest is in a previous post I made.
…….

I’m back in regular therapy and doing free ACT group therapy. I’m ok. Still trying to find meaning and I’ll see where life takes me!

Thank you @Phoenix65 and @K8e for your very honest and raw accounts of your experiences here. It takes a lot of courage to open up and share like this.

Just wanted to check in on how you're both feeling? I know some feel a bit of relief, and others may feel worn out after discussing such heavy topics. Either way the community is here for you

@Ru-bee @I’m not having the greatest of days today but typing everything out and re reading has given me a bit of relief from how I’m feeling. I had a little cry with typing/reading and will probably get into some gym clothes and go workout!

I'm glad to hear that it offered a bit of relief for you @K8e Getting your body moving sounds like a great idea, I know that's always my go to as well when I need to shift into a new headspace or just need a break from my current feelings and thoughts.

Hope the rest of the day goes gently for you

Hey folks!

@K8e @tyme @Phoenix65 @Ru-bee @Chasingsunsets

This is a topic that really hits for me. I think that a LOT of human suffering comes from shame, and this pervasive idea that if we can't become (one very specific idea of) successful by standing completely on our own, something is wrong with us.

But it's just not how humans work. We need each other. None of us can do this alone!

And to my mind, we ought to judge a society by how it treats its most vulnerable members - and I am judging this one very harshly in that regard.

For me, stigma was the primary driving factor that had me gaslighting myself that I was 'fine', despite struggling with SI for near a decade. I felt like I should have had everything together because I 'had a good childhood' (spoiler alert: I didn't). And the idea of just going to chat to a professional, even briefly, about my struggles, was simply out of the question. I didn't deserve to get help when 'others had it worse'.

But here's the thing... yes, others have it worse. Still others have it better. Always have, always will. But regardless of how 'bad' things are for any one of us, everyone deserves to feel safe, heard, and held in their vulnerability.

As I have moved along in my recovery, I have found that the more I am able to accept my journey as my own, unique to me - and been able to validate that yes, those experiences were traumatising, and yes, it's okay to be messed up because of it, and yes, it's okay to need a lot of support as I work through it all - the less I am impacted by that internalised stigma and shame.

Questions for the community!

How does internalised stigma tend to show up in your life?

Have you found ways of managing the impacts of stigma, internalised or otherwise?

Tagging a couple other peeps who may be interested in this discussion!

@Shaz51 @ArraDreaming @MissGremlin @Bow @NightFury @creative_writer @AlwaysMyself @Oaktree pls feel free to tag others who might want to jump in 💜

@Jynx

For a long time I thought to myself that I hate myself because I am defective. But I think now that that was my mother’s voice.