Personal Story
NAMI Knowledge Article: I need some positivity right now. Where can I find stories of other people like me living well with a mental health condition? Facing a mental health challenge can be tough, but you are not alone. 1 in 6 young people live with a mental health condition in the United States each year. Sometimes it feels good to hear about others with similar mental health concerns and learn about how they cope. This article will help you find stories of people like you who found help, hope, and healing on their mental health journeys.
NAMI Video - A Proud Path to Mental Health members of the LGBTQ+ community share stories dealing with social stigma, hopelessness, and living with mental illness, which affects so many LGBTQ+ individuals across the country. Outsized obstacles to mental health exist for LGBTQ+ youth and adults, like figuring out how to access mental health care when friends, family, and even institutional structures are unsupportive. Hear how joining a mental health community like NAMI has helped individuals find a source of hope, lifelong friendship, self-love, and a proud path to mental health.
NAMI Video - Creating Safe Spaces: My Journey From Trauma & An Eating Disorder To Love for Carly, her eating disorder became an escape from a disrupted childhood and the anxiety and depression that she faced. Determined to not let her mental health challenges define her, Carly has forged a life for herself with her wife focused on helping children and young adults find safe places to heal and thrive.
NAMI Video - LGBTQI+ Mental Health Experience coming out can be a scary, difficult thing. The questions of whether support will be available and how to find it can be even more overwhelming. In this video, three LGBTQI+ identifying presenters discuss their own journeys coming out and how they were able to get support for their mental health while prioritizing their identities.
NAMI Video - LGBTQ+ Mental Health: Inhabiting The Space That Wasn’t Built For You Rosemary Ketchum, the first-ever politically elected trans woman in the state of West Virginia and leader at NAMI Greater Wheeling, addresses the need for LGBTQ+ people to have a place in the room advocating for social change and a stigma-free world.
NAMI Video - My Dad Has Bipolar Disorder - I Love Him Theo Bennett opens up about growing up with a dad who has bipolar disorder.
NAMI Video - Overcoming Anxiety | Stories of Hope and Healing: Brittany McGowan listen in Part 1 as Brittany McGowan shares her vulnerable journey of mental health.
NAMI Video - Rising Above Severe Anxiety | Stories of Hope and Healing: Brittany McGowan | PART TWO listen in Part 2 as Brittany McGowan continues sharing her vulnerable journey of mental health and recovery around depression and anxiety, defeating the stigma of mental health with action.
NAMI Video - Ros and Jonny: Community Creates Hope friendship and community help so many who struggle with mental illness find strength and hope. Ros and Jonny met in college and have been there for each other ever since. Sharing a passion for mental health advocacy, they have joined forces with NAMI to help their Hispanic/Latinx and LGBTQ+ peers discover the NAMI community and ignite the light of hope in their own lives.
NAMI Video - Teen - 5 Mental Health Coping Skills do you have a mental health toolkit? In this video, NAMI volunteer Britt shares what positive coping skills are and how to develop a mental health toolkit so that we don't fall into negative coping strategies. Additionally, she discusses what specific skills help her cope.
NAMI Video - Why did you start therapy? sharing reasons for startingtherapy.
NAMI Video - Youth - Bullying: Let's Talk About It Reginald, Katie, and Carmen share their experiences being bullied, and demonstrate how they were able to take control over their situations to advocate for their mental health. In this video, the three presenters describe how they were able to develop confidence and coping skills which allowed access to the support they needed.
NAMI Video - Youth - Mental Health Treatment Options Ryder talks about the many different mental health treatment options, like medication, one-on-one therapy, and group therapy. He shares that what might work for one person doesn't necessarily mean it will work for everyone, and the importance of trying new things until you find what's right for you.
Seize the Awkward Video - Aminé On Discussing Mental Health Aminé on discussing mental health.
Seize the Awkward Video - Billie Eilish On Mental Health & Friendship Billie Eilish opens up about her personal connection to mental health.
Seize the Awkward Video - Lauv on the Importance of Asking for Help LAUV on how to talk to a friend about mental health. Learn how to start a conversation about mental health with your friends.
Seize the Awkward Video - Lindsey Stirling On Accepting The Help of Others Lindsey Sterling on accepting the help of others.
Seize the Awkward Video -Markiplier on Talking about Mental Health Markiplier on talking about mental health.
Seize the Awkward Video - Noah Cyrus Noah Cyrus on the inspiration behind her song "Lonely" and the importance of talking to friends about mental health.
TODAY Video - Teens Tell Parents How To Approach Mental Health Issues three teenagers opened up to TODAY’s Carson Daly about their mental health, one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. The teens offered and offer some advice for parents about how they can best support their kids during these difficult times.
Y2Y Video - Teens Discuss Stress, Anxiety and Mental Health Youth to Youth teens discuss everyday struggles that revolve around their stress, anxiety, and mental health.