“Together and in support we have power to heal and live.”

Share your stigma experience.

I guess my stigma experience is from my family; they know I have anxiety & depression, just not to what extent. It was something not talked about in my family; my parents had the depression diagnosis as well – they never talked about it with us kids.

How did you overcome this experience?

I discussed it with a couple of my brothers/sister-in-laws back in May, after having a severe panic attack where I drove myself to our local ER. I told them how I felt when it happened so they could get a jist of what I felt like. But told them that it’s hard to explain as the attacks aren’t always the same.

Help others by sharing a brief, positive message.

Don’t be afraid of being put on meds for anxiety – they can help immensely! Explain to family, friends, coworkers that it’s hard to explain why you feel the way you do but to just be supportive.