I just wanted it to stop. I was tired of being afraid. I was tired of being anxious. I was tired of feeling like this all the time.

Four-hundred-fifty million people worldwide currently suffer from a mental illness, and I happen to be one of those people. Along with enduring the pain of this illness is a stigma. We are disgraced for being sick. Disgraced for living with an illness we have no control over. Society needs to end the stigma surrounding mental illness and educate themselves to better help the individuals who suffer.

If we end the stigma, people will be less scared to speak up and talk about their illnesses. Once they are comfortable sharing their story, they can get help for something out of their control. Help is the first step toward recovery. There is a life beyond mental illness, and everyone is much more than their imperfections.

Without the stigma, help becomes more plausible. It isn’t easy to admit you have an illness or to ask somebody for help. It’s also not easy to go to therapy or to rely on medication to feel like yourself. When I went to therapy it was awkward and uncomfortable at first, but it made such an impact on my life and helped me very much.

It was huge when I was able to openly talk about my issues without fear of judgment. To receive help from someone may be difficult, but you can’t fight the battle of a mental illness alone, and a person is more likely to ask for help from someone they trust without fear of judgment.

Without judgment, the stigma is shattered, and education begins. Education is the key to everything. People need to break the social norm of judgment and learn something new. The more society learns about mental illnesses, the better they can treat people who struggle with them every day. Fewer people would suffer if everyone would take the time and try to learn more, without fear or judgment.

When we destigmatize mental illness, space is made for awareness and education to occur. Awareness is an important task, and mental illness should not be a taboo topic anymore. We have to become comfortable enough to talk about mental health.

Treatment is available in the form of therapy or medicine, and it’s a good decision to get help. It’s a hard decision to make, but it's worth it. People shouldn’t have to be scared to get help for their mental illness. They should feel encouraged.