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Please Live
I have struggled with my thoughts for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I would think about suicide before I even knew what suicide was. I never planned my future or said what I wanted to be when I grew up because I didn’t think I would ever get there.
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Talking About Mental Health Should Start Early
"Maybe if I’d learned more about mental health when I was a teenager, I could have been saved twenty years of struggling with mental illness in silence. That’s why I became a presenter for NAMI Ending the Silence." -
Life Has Hope
I was two hours away from home in a hospital where I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I was relieved, but scared because I had only heard horrible things about this condition.
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Lessons We Missed as Kids: Practicing Mental Health
Why is physical health prioritized more than psychological health in childhood? What are kids taught to do when they feel lonely? Or when they feel rejected? The answer, usually, is nothing. -
The Strengths and Stigmas of My Culture
"The Cuban 'machismo' culture can prevent individuals from seeking help. Our powerful sense of masculine pride can interfere with the insight and acceptance of help. But I believe diverse communities experience unique challenges and strengths when it comes to mental health." -
AKA and NAMI: Building Bridges in the African-American Community
Part of our mission at NAMI is to empower people to break cultural barriers and fight stigma within their own communities. But we can’t do this alone. That’s why we're so thankful Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) helps us build bridges into the African-American community. -
An Important Conversation with My Mom
"Don't be afraid to tell others how you are really feeling the next time someone asks, 'How are you?' It makes all the difference in the world if you have someone who you know genuinely cares. Try to be that person for someone else and see what a difference it will make in your life." -
I Remember When Worry Was a Friend
"Stigma around mental illness and therapy is deeply rooted in my culture. It’s seen as a weakness or a 'made up' ailment and going to therapy is a luxury reserved for those of white privilege. But by the time I reached adulthood, I realized I had to do something." -
Breaking Tradition
"I was raised in a rowdy Puerto Rican family. We spoke our minds about anything and everything under the sun. If we had an opinion, we had it at the top of our lungs. We took pride in our strong emotions. But pain was the exception to the rule. Pain was something you kept quietly under wraps." -
Stand Tall
Forced to leave my family and friends, the hospital became my home. Over the next year, I faced the biggest challenge of my life. At my lowest ebb, I had to find the courage to beat my anorexia.