Mental health is a topic that many people are reluctant to speak about because there is a social stigma attached to it—MentalHealth.Org notes that almost nine out of ten individuals who have mental health problems have expressed that the stigma and discrimination they have had to face has had a negative effect on their lives. However, in recent years, there have been campaigns, and influential individuals, who are raising awareness for mental health, encouraging others to seek professional help and to open up about their own conditions.

First, we should note that mental health conditions are extremely common. The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that “one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives.” At this very moment, it is estimated that around 450 million individuals are suffering from these conditions. And secondly, it’s important to realize that "Mental illness is not a personal failure,” as Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of WHO, has stated. He adds, “If there is [a] failure, it is to be found in the way we have responded to people with mental and brain disorders …”

It is important for celebrities to use their platform to speak about important issues, which is what Lady Gaga chose to do during her speech at the Patron of the Artists Awards (via Variety). She used the awards ceremony as an opportunity to discuss her own “mental health crisis,” and spoke on how she suffers from anxiety and depression. She detailed her struggles, but also called for change, saying, “I wish there had been a system in place to protect and guide me, a system in place to empower me to say no to things I felt I had to do, a system in place to empower me to stay away from toxic work environments or working with people who were of seriously questionable character.”

She also encouraged others to bring mental health “into the light,” and noted how sharing personal stories helps to get us one step closer to ensuring “that global mental health no longer resides and festers in the darkness.”

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