0:00
Mental health and our house and our home,
0:04
You know that carpet that you have? We lifted it up and we swept the mental health underneath the carpet.
0:10
Alice talked about needing some help and we were mental health isn't in our family like and I don't, I didn't understand it.
0:21
I'm a nurse and I didn't understand it.
0:23
I didn't have the knowledge or the capacity to realise that what Alice was going through was probably a lot more than we ever realised.
0:32
I would hope in this day and age today that I would be a stronger advocate for Alice because I was certainly not an advocate at 16 for her.
0:46
I think people would be surprised to know that I have received a diagnosis of bipolar type one, also known as manic depression.
0:55
When it comes to relationships, I have witnessed and been part of some judgy, judgy experiences.
1:04
I was told 'stop taking your medication.
1:07
Why do you need that?'
1:08
I was told 'you're reacting like that because you're bipolar,' and I didn't like that.
1:15
And it took me a while to say, 'hey, this relationship, like this friendship is not for me.'
1:22
I think stigma comes in so many forms.
1:26
And with Alice's friends, they didn't have the knowledge behind them to know that you can't catch it.
1:32
And I also think the media can portray complex mental health as the guy or the girl wielding a gun or a knife on the nightly news, and that's not the case.
1:45
That is a rare thing that happens and a terrible thing.
1:49
It's not the norm.
1:52
I got my hair done, so that's nice.
1:56
Here I am sitting beside the most beautiful daughter ever who has a label with bipolar and complex mental health.
2:06
But that's not who I see.
2:07
I see an amazing girl that's gone out to do what she wants to do that asks for help when she needs it and that is the most giving person.
2:20
I think probably Alice and I will never stop breaking the silence and we will forever advocate.
2:26
There is so much education that needs to be out there.
2:29
I think for stigma to change, we need to talk about it.
2:34
So let's break that silence.
