The Young Associates Committee for Mental Health and Addiction Awareness (YAC) is a newly formed group of young professionals who are interested in working together to destigmatize mental illness and addiction. We organize events and activities to support the much-needed mental health and addiction treatment services provided by The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals.

The reason I am a YAC member is simple – this is my passion. Working towards ending the stigma surrounding mental illness has been my mission since I was in high school. Not only have I dealt with my own struggles with major depression and anxiety for more than a decade, but I have also seen the devastation that untreated mental illness can lead to. Think of how many lives could be saved every year if society were more accepting and willing to help people affected by these disorders.

Mental illnesses are invisible diseases that affect the brain, so to the average person on the street you may appear fine because you don’t look physically sick. Some people even function and go to work every day, but fight a silent, dark battle because it is unacceptable to be out in the open with their disease. It’s the stigma that surrounds these illnesses that often prevents people from seeking treatment. I know it came into play for me. I was young and physically healthy – I should have been able to control my brain and just make myself feel better. If I couldn’t, then just imagine how weak I must have been. This is just one of the stereotypes that are out there.

Along with other YAC members, I want to help make mental health a priority for everyone. With increased awareness, education and understanding, we can all make the world a better place for those who deal with these diseases. I want to live in a place where, if you tell someone you have bipolar disorder, the first word that pops into their head is not “crazy!” I want to live in a place where these illnesses are not a joke to people. And, I want to live in a place where everyone has a chance to live a healthy life because they aren’t afraid to get the help they need. I think that place is something all YAC members are striving for and, with more of us out there, it may come true in our lifetime.

To find out more about YAC, please “like” our Facebook page and consider joining our efforts. We are a group of young people who like to have fun and support a very serious and meaningful cause while we’re at it.

This blog was written by YAC member Katie Gerenski Gallo.