There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about mental health out there. These stories address some of the dangerous and troubling beliefs about different conditions, and explore what it's really like to experience mental health problems.  

My anxiety isn't attention seeking - it's a real problem

Becky, July 26, 2019

Some people (who clearly have never experienced a mental health problem) believe that those of us that suffer from a mental illness are attention seekers. Of course, this isn’t true. As someone who has experienced anxiety, the last thing I want is for the attention to be on me. 

I'm no longer ashamed of my eating disorder

Amy, April 25, 2019

Some people are probably wondering: how can a personal trainer have anorexia?

My first experience was during my teens and it’s only recently I’ve felt comfortable talking about this often misunderstood illness. I’m now strong enough to want to remove this stigma, make people more aware, and most importantly, help others going through this deadly beast of an illness.

Anxiety isn't "attention-seeking"

Katie, April 3, 2019

You could ask me one simple question, but my anxiety will turn that into 20 questions within seconds. “Are you okay?” becomes “Why are they asking me that?”, “Do I not look okay?”, “Have I done something?”, “Am I in trouble?”.

That’s the best way I describe it to people. I worry about everything, even to the point I worry about worrying.

A lot of people just say “don’t worry” or “you’ve got nothing to worry about”. I then feel stupid…and then worry about feeling stupid.

Some people are high-functioning, but that doesn’t invalidate their mental health

Dina, March 16, 2019

Many people might think of a period of poor mental health as being incapable of getting out of bed in the morning, or a severe lack of motivation and reluctance to do anything. Certainly, for many people these symptoms are prominent at times.

However, some who are living with a mental illness, or generally struggling with mental health, are high-functioning. They still live out their day-to-day lives like normal. They go to work, socialise, and function like anyone else.

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