by Eric Johnson

Mental health has always been a hard topic to tackle. Those struggling with issues often are afraid to talk about it, as if saying things out loud will bring about some curse or make their life worse somehow. The fact is, it won’t.

I have had mental health issues for years, and at this point, I’ve grown used to it. When I was a young child, I was diagnosed with ADD. This in itself, while technically a learning disability, is not a mental health disorder, but the feeling of isolation it created caused me to slowly develop mental health issues like clinical depression and anxiety. Despite having developed these two disorders and after talking about them with those who I’m close to, I am fine.

One of the main reasons people are hesitant to address their mental health is that they are afraid. They are afraid of the isolation that could be caused by admitting that they are mentally ill. I used to be the same, but I took the step to change my situation. I can sincerely say that the only reason I was able to cope with my issues was speaking with my friends and having them there to support me. Honestly, it is quite possible, or rather, quite likely that I would not still be here today if my friends had not been there for me in solidarity.

Back in freshman year, there was a lot of pressure for me to play sports, do well in school, and have a good social life, and all of these things, coupled with my poor self-esteem and mental health issues, pushed me nearly to a breaking point. It was my friends supporting me and helping me through the struggle that was that first year of high school that pulled me through those tough times. Mental illness is not something that should be dealt with alone, out of fear. Instead, it is something that can be tackled with civil and honest conversations and compassionate support for the affected. That’s what it took for me.