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When I say I stand for mental health awareness, I’m making a clear distinction: I’m speaking for those of us who livewith mental illness, not for those who don’t. It’s kind of like saying "Black Lives Matter"—it’s about drawing attention to a group that has been marginalized, misunderstood, and mistreated. In my case, I started speaking out publicly after the brutal murder of Kelly Thomas, a man I once shared a room with in a mental hospital. Six policemen beat him to death at a bus stop, right in front of everyone. It was a tragic, public execution, and it...

One icon—or stereotype—I keep bumping into in the mental health system is the pretty young therapist. Not exactly striking, but cute. She’s well-groomed, works out, diets, and keeps herself polished. And in every session, she subtly teaches you to do the same. There’s something about her presence that draws you in, making the hard work seem… well, a little easier. I remember one session in particular. This beautiful therapist, on day one, casually asked me if I was interested in dating. I almost fell off my chair! It was like being on an awkward first date where you’re trying to...

So I’m at another session with another pretty young therapist, and she’s sitting there with that concerned look, asking how she can help. You know, the usual. I tell her the whole deal—my mother stole the money, I’m trapped in poverty, and all these goals we set together? Yeah, I’m not going to reach any of them because of this little financial situation. Her response? "We can’t ask your mother for money." Oh, that’s funny, I think. Really funny. Because the last time I checked, it was therapists just like her—the kind that think tough love is the holy grail...

As the presidential election nears its conclusion, it’s easy to feel like everything in life has become a political debate, a stance, or a belief. Everywhere we turn, it seems like the world is divided, and we’re expected to take sides on every issue. But not everything in life needs to be a battleground. Some things just are. Our family, friends, lovers, and loved ones—they aren’t campaign platforms to defend or beliefs to challenge. They are the people who stand by us, or in some cases, as in mine, the people we wished had stayed. One of the greatest lessons...

The hardest part for anyone hearing voices is to accept that they aren't real. It’s like trying to let go of something that feels so vivid, so personal. For drug addicts, the process can be a bit easier, given their own experiences with altered states. But convincing someone that what they’re hearing, seeing, or feeling is just a hallucination? That’s a whole other challenge. I once had a vision of Jesus and went to church every day for a year. I was all in. The real struggle, though, is for the friends and loved ones of those suffering from these...