Stigma has affected me on two fronts. People with mental health issues face a lot of stigma from the community because it's so misunderstood. I think that with my recovery, I have had to learn the ways of navigating around stigma and the best way I have found to combat it is to educate. Stigma is borne out of ignorance, and the only way we can challenge that is to inform and show people that their perceptions are often skewed or just plain wrong. Don't be afraid to speak out. If you get an opportunity, speak about your experiences and show people that you're just an average person living with extraordinary struggles. You will be surprised how much compassion can be found.

Of course, there will still be ignorant people out there, but if you at least learn how to deal with stigma yourself and become an advocate for yourself and others with mental illness, you can make a difference.

In my case, I work voluntarily for a consumer led organisation, which is the peak body for mental health consumers in the state I live in. It gives me great joy and a sense of purpose to educate people and it helps in my recovery because it gives me confidence and raises my self-esteem. I used to be terrified of speaking in public, but now I do it and it is a release. Not for everyone, I know, but if you can find your voice and add it to the growing collective, then stigma will start to reduce and there will be more understanding.

Not so much now but when i was first diagnosed with depression i was 23 and to ashamed to ask for help and that stopped me from recovering as much as I could! Now as I am older I am not ashamed about my depression so i am willing to have people ask me questions about it and that opens doors for me to get good help because i am willing to talk about it!

@A MyDepressionTeam Member I struggled at work a lot until I finally left last year! I was off sick a lot and sometimes arrived late for work, not intentionally, I just couldn't get up and face the day! There were certain people at work who took it upon themselves to label me a shirker, they came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with me and I was just skiving off work. Of course I was mortified and the rumours made me even more Ill. I'm glad I left now, money is very tight but I am now able to take my time and try to look after my self without thinking 'yes I must be skiving because they said so'!!

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A MyDepre...

It's not so much as stigma against mental illness that's affected me and my recovery, but more my family, friends and other people's negative and ill informed attitudes to my illnesses, that can become a great hindrance to how I understand my illnesses, and can prevent me from seeking treatment, it's also peoples ignorance to age constraints, people seemed to have the ill conceived perception that mental health, and dual diagnosis, and drug and alcohol issues, can only affect adults, and that I was nothing but a naughty child.

When I was first referred to the drug and alcohol team by my GP, they seemed to treat it like some kind of joke, as I was only 8 years of age, they assumed I couldn't possibly have drug and alcohol issues, and had no young persons service, so it was suggested they could offer me no support, the CAMHS team wouldn't even assess my needs and just dismissed me as a naughty child, and told me to return when I'd dealt with my drug and alcohol issues, so I was let down by the very services that were supposed to help me.

I was considered drug dependent at 11 years of age (a heroin addict), my official document, Medical history: states "01/12/1998 Drug dependence", I received no help what so ever until I was thrown out at 16 by my parents, and moved into a supported housing bedsit, I hadn't even finished school, I didn't care what people thought, but my school did the stigma of it brought shame on my school, the school, even when there was support available, towards the end of school, refused to grant me leave to attend the counselling I needed, because that would mean them admitting they had a student with drug and alcohol issues, as well as mental health issues.

I actually overdosed in school on my antidepressants, so the stigma caused me to be forced to get by without the help I needed until after I left school, and then the transition from young persons to adult service meant I had no real support until I was around 21 years of age, at which time I felt everyone of my age group had left me behind, and I'd lost too much opportunity to make a decent life for myself, I couldn't get work because of my criminal record and disclosure of mental health issues, so I hit the drink, I withdrew from society, and didn't re-attempt to get help until aged 25, I'm now 29 nearly 30 and finally coming out the other side, making positive changes, I'm fed up of the stigma being a barrier to getting the help people need, and I'm trying to change this for myself and others.

I have very successfully learned to put on a mask when I leave the house. There are very few people that know that I have this illness which makes it even more lonely. I can only be myself when I'm at home.