When people ask me what I'm majoring in at school, I'm usually hesitant to tell them that it's psychology. Usually people respond with something generic like "Oh cool." or "Nice!", when really they're probably thinking "what the hell is she going to do with that?" And sometimes there are people who tell me that it's a useless degree and that I should go into computer science or business otherwise I'll never find a job with my psychology degree and that a technical degree is so much better than a degree in psychology. Well, I'm here to tell you why I'm a psychology major.

There is a horrible stigma on mental illness around the entire globe. I believe that's due to a combination of the history on mental illness, the lack of knowledge of it, and social media. The problem is that most people don't actually understand mental illnesses. The truth is they are actual illnesses and diseases just as the flu, diabetes, strep throat, etc. And they should be treated the same; by getting help to control it or to heal it.

The history of mental health hospitals or "insane asylums" don't help much with the stigma. They connote the idea that those who have mental illnesses are possessed by demons. Patients who were depressed used to have holes drilled in their skulls to "release the demons". And yes, this is true. And they were awake during this.

When we see scary movies or go to haunted houses we often see straight jackets, rooms that simulate a mental hospital, or patients that imitate the actions of those with mental illnesses and it's quite sad.

What is also sad is how often words like "depression" or "anxiety" are so loosely thrown around. Yes anxiety can mean that you're nervous or uneasy about a situation, but when you actually have an anxiety disorder, it's taken to a whole other level and it's hard for people to understand who have never been through it. Or if you're sad over a movie or a grade it's not right to say you're depressed about it. Because depression means so much more than being sad for a little bit.

Anyways, the point I'm getting at is that there is nothing wrong with mental illnesses and treating them as any other illness. And as someone who had a father attempt suicide, multiple friends attempt suicide, a best friend who took his own life, and as for myself; I've had generalized anxiety disorder and depression, psychology speaks to me. And I want to understand all there is about the human mind that I can so I can help others.

The worst part about mental illnesses is that you feel out of control of your own brain and you slowly lose sight of who you are. At first it's confusing because you don't know if this is just who you really are and your'e just changing, or if something is actually wrong. I believe that millions of people walk around not knowing that they have a mental illness and that they find their self hatred because of their worrying to be "normal". Then again, if people do find that something is wrong they're more often than not hesitant to do something about it because they're afraid of what others might say about them. That they're "crazy" or "insane" or "nuts".

Let me give you an example of how your mind is affected by your body and hormones. When a woman is PMSing, it's because she is likely going to start her period. And guess what's happening during that time? Yep. Her hormones are going crazy. And all of those levels of hormones changing and fluctuating can cause her emotions to be a little out of the norm. It's why girls are often emotional or easily tempered while on their period.

But just like that, mental illness are chemical imbalances. And people often turn to drugs or sex or overeating or overexercising or alcohol to deal with it and we see that that doesn't work out in the right way.

My entire life I've wanted to help people. I aspired to be a doctor or a nurse to take care of sick patients, and then I realized in college how fascinating and mysterious the human brain is and how we still have so much to study and learn from it. Not to mention, people with mental illnesses need help too. An estimates 26 percent of Americans (yes, over one-fourth of the nation) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. And that's just those who are bringing attention to their disorder. All of those millions of people need help and I want to learn how to give it to them.

So when people look at me like I have three eyes and four noses when I tell them I'm a psychology major, I want them to read this. I want them to know that I'm fighting to end the stigma. That I'm fighting for those who need help. That I'm fighting for people just like me who went down a rabbit hole of my own mind at one point and the only way I got myself out of it was to get help. I may not change the world, or a million lives, but if I change one, that's enough for me. And that's why I'm choosing psychology.