STORIES OF LIVED EXPERIENCE

There's No Shame in Taking Care of your Mental Health

When stress got to be too much for TED Fellow Sangu Delle, he had to confront his own deep prejudice: that men shouldn't take care of their mental health. In a personal talk, Delle shares how he learned to handle anxiety in a society that's uncomfortable with emotions. As he says: "Being honest about how we feel doesn't make us weak -- it makes us human."

Living With High Functioning Anxiety
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Jordan shares her experiences living with anxiety as a comedian and entertainment personality. She explains that she lives with anxiety on a day to day basis even though she is able to be so confident on stage. Her talk is a very eye-opening one that demonstrates how mental illness can affect everyone in different ways. ​

How to Get Stuff Done When You Are Depressed

Jessica Gimeno lives with five illnesses, one of them being bipolar disorder II. In this talk, she shares her strategies to stay on track with life when suffering from a depressive episode. She recommends strategies such as staying proactive, keeping lists, and ranking things to do in order of difficulty.

Content Warning: Includes some brief discussions of suicidal thoughts and suicide. 

Wasted: Exposing the Family Effect of Addiction ​

Sam Fowler shares her experiences of her teen years when her brother was diagnosed with a disease- addiction. She explains the effects it had on her brother, herself, and her family. There was a point in their journey when they thought anonymity and silence was the best way for them to cope with their family member’s addiction. However, they soon found out that this was not the answer. Sam shares the lessons she and her family learned from this journey. ​

I Am Not a Monster: Schizophrenia

Cecilia Gough is a woman who lives with schizophrenia. In her talk, she explains her lived experiences with the disease and works to break down the stigma and negative stereotypes that are associated with schizophrenia. ​

Stop Chasing Purpose and Focus on Wellness

In this talk, Chloe Hakin-Moore talks about how constantly striving to find our purpose and neglecting our mental health and wellbeing can be harmful to our overall journey of wellness. She talks about how her anxiety around trying to succeed and get to the right place temporarily got in her way and explains her journey of getting back to the basics of health- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. ​

How to Connect With Depressed Friends

Bill Bernat takes a more light-hearted approach to how to connect and build bridges with those around you that are suffering from mental illness, specifically depression. He provides some tips to people on how to talk to and connect with those in your life that are struggling. Behind the comedy he uses to deliver this talk, the value of his suggestions are some that we could all use when reaching out to those who are going through a hard time. ​

The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong

Amy Morin is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist. In this talk, Amy shares her own struggles from losing multiple loved ones in her early 20s and how she had to fight and rebuild her mental strength. She uses her experiences to promote resilience. ​

"I'm Fine" Learning to Live with Depression

The Voices in My Head

Jake Tyler is 31 and lives with Depression. Last year Jake embarked on a journey to manage his mental health in a new way, through exercise, sharing and the great outdoors. Jake has now walked over 2000 miles around the UK, vlogging his experiences with thousands of online followers as he goes and attracting the attention of both the BBC and the Royal Family. In this talk, Jake shares his insights into living with depression and how connecting to and opening up to a wide online community has affected his relationship with depression.

To all appearances, Eleanor Longden was just like every other student, heading to college full of promise and without a care in the world. That was until the voices in her head started talking. Initially innocuous, these internal narrators became increasingly antagonistic and dictatorial, turning her life into a living nightmare. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, hospitalized, drugged, Longden was discarded by a system that didn't know how to help her. Longden tells the moving tale of...

EDUCATIONAL

Imagine There Was No Stigma to Mental Illness

Dr. Lieberman, a psychiatrist and professor from Columbia University and past president of the American Psychiatric Association, imagines what life would be like if there was no stigma surrounding mental illness. He takes a more scientific approach in this talk and explains how treatment could improve the lives of many suffering from a mental illness if there were no stigma. ​

Shaming the Sick: Substance Use and Stigma

Dr. Carolyn Greer discusses the stigma surrounding substance use disorders and addiction and how this impacts treatment for individuals with this disease. She explains that stigma stops people from recovery. She also discusses the importance of proper language in society when talking about substance use disorders and addiction. When the stigma surrounding substance use disorders and addiction is removed from health care and society, individuals suffering from this disease will be able to receive the treatment (both medically and socially) that they deserve.

Content Warning: Includes brief discussion of different types of trauma. 

The Power of Vulnerability ​

Brené Brown discusses the importance of vulnerability to develop human connection. Human connection is essential for everyone- it is one of the main reasons we are here. However, to develop a true human connection, the shame and fear of opening up with one another need to be overcome. Everyone is worthy of love and belonging, and once you are able to be vulnerable, you will be able to see this in your connections with others. ​

How to Cope With Anxiety

In this talk, Olivia Remes shares coping strategies for individuals with anxiety disorders. She explains that sometimes medication may not work for everyone in the long run, but developing coping strategies that you can carry with you throughout your life can help you manage your anxiety over time. ​

What is Bipolar Disorder?

The word bipolar means ‘two extremes.’ For the many millions experiencing bipolar disorder around the world, life is split between two different realities: elation and depression. So what causes this disorder? And can it be treated? Helen M. Farrell describes the root causes and treatments for bipolar disorder. ​

What is Depression?

Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world; in the United States, close to ten percent of adults struggle with the disease. But because it’s a mental illness, it can be a lot harder to understand than, say, high cholesterol. Helen M. Farrell examines the symptoms and treatments of depression, and gives some tips for how you might help a friend who is suffering.

Mental Health in the New Normal: Shaping our COVID Stories 

Recent statistics from the CDC show that depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues are rising in the context of COVID. Particularly in the face of prolonged uncertainty and isolation, many people report feeling despair when they imagine their futures in this new normal. So, how do we emotionally survive let alone thrive in these circumstances over which we have little control? Part of the answer lies in the narratives that we create about who we are and what is possible in the face of adversity. What will our own COVID stories be? We will explore how we can, even now, shape our narratives in ways that can help us survive both the current pandemic and the predicted surge in mental health challenges. ​

​Mental Healthcare at Our Fingertips
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We are experiencing a mental health crisis in the U.S. with many millions of people not receiving the treatment they desperately need. This talk explores how two emerging technological innovations, Digital Therapeutics and Personal Sensing, can address this crisis by delivering highly scalable treatment and other supports that can be precisely tailored to the specific needs of the person and their moment in time.

Why You Should Take a Break: Prioritizing Mental Health in Schools 

While not everyone has a diagnosed mental illness, every person has their own mental health with unique needs and challenges. It is time that we extend the same empathy and aid to mental health as we do to physical health. One of the best ways to end the stigma surrounding mental health is by spreading the idea that it is always ok to take a break for your mental wellbeing, especially for teens and students. Hailey Hardcastle is a freshman at the University of Oregon and a student mental health advocate. This year she was named one of Teen Vogues 21 under 21 most influential young people for her work on passing House Bill 2191, which allows students to take mental health days off from school. Hardcastle works with other teens nationwide to promote student advocacy and come up with creative solutions to teenage mental challenges. ​

​How to start a conversation about suicide
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Is there someone in your life dealing with anxiety, depression or thoughts of suicide -- but is too ashamed to talk about it? Jeremy Forbes saw this happening around him, and now he's on a mission to teach people how to start a conversation about it. In this deeply personal talk, Forbes shares his approach to helping a group of traditionally silent men in his community open up about their struggles. "We can all be life preservers," he says.
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