I was diagnosed with social anxiety and clinical depression around nine months ago. I’d been showing symptoms for over two years, and knowing what is going on has definitely helped a lot.

It was frustrating just being sad all the time, and I did have suicidal ideations because it kind of got to the point where I was ‘I just want to be happy, why can’t I be happy?’

So being diagnosed did clear the path for me and make me aware that I can get past this; that this is just a temporary thing, and by getting help it’s going to give me a clearer picture of how I should be viewing the world.

I want to normalise the discussion around mental health - especially for adolescents and young adults. That’s the time in their life where they can be most vulnerable to this type of thing.

Many young people want to conform and fit in with society, so it can be awkward or uncomfortable for them to talk about how they’re feeling, and they might be worried what people think.

I am really passionate about breaking the stigma around mental health issues. Talk to someone. It doesn’t need to be a trained professional, just talk to anyone. It can really lift a weight off you and provide some relief once it’s out there and you’re not bottling it up any more.