When I was diagnosed with depression at age 14, I wasn’t sure where to turn. Sure, I took medication and saw a psychologist, but I felt so alone. Mental health wasn’t something discussed in school or in my favorite magazines. Today, I’m an adult who wears her bipolar II disorder diagnosis proudly. In honor of Mental Health Month, our team at POPSUGAR is shining a light on what it’s like to live with a mental illness — and working toward erasing the stigma.
43.8
MILLION
43.8 million
adults experience mental illness in a given year.
Source: NAMI
2x
Women experience
depression at roughly
twice the rate of men.
Source: NIMH
1 in 8
About one in eight
women can expect to develop clinical depression in their lifetime.
Source: NIMH
50%
Only half of people with a mental illness receive treatment.
Source: NAMI
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10x
People with severe
mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime.
Source: mentalhealth.gov
Christina Stiehl
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