Mental Health Awareness Marked in 2015

Bringing mental illness out of the shadows has long been a goal of the mental health community. In 2015, this movement caught steam as both famous and non-famous sufferers shared their stories publically. The Mighty, a website devoted to educating people about all mental illnesses, lists nine people as 2015 Mighty Mental Health Heroes:

Erin Jones, a young woman who inspired people to post mental health selfies: “I have always been open about my life, because being honest and vulnerable shows others that they aren’t alone.”
Kate Middleton, British royal: It is our duty, as parents and as teachers, to give all children the space to build their emotional strength and provide a strong foundation for their future.”
Brandon Marshall, NFL player: “One of the bravest things I’ve done is talk about my borderline personality disorder.”
Tim Murphy, member of the U.S. House of Representatives: “Our broken system does not respond until after a crisis, when we could be doing something to stop it from happening.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, actor: “I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone.”
Ali Mattu, psychologist: “Psychology saves lives....[and] uses science to help humanity move forward.”
Demi Lovato, singer, who represented Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health in her remarks to legislators on Capitol Hill: “I want to show the world that there is life—surprising, wonderful and unexpected life after diagnosis.”
Patrick J. Kennedy, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and author of a memoir revealing his famous family’s struggles—“No one is immune from addiction; it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes and professions.”
Vikram Patel, psychiatrist: “Spare a thought for that person you thought about who has a mental illness, or persons that you thought about who have mental illness, and dare to care for them.”