It’s Mental Health Month 2023. And as over the years I’ve raised awareness in various ways, I am going to do something new and vulnerable. No, it’s not new that I’m being vulnerable, but I’ve been holding onto this info specifically for a few years. So here it goes—the ethics of talking about mental health on Twitch specifically.

Even though 5% (43.8 million people 18 or older) of people experience a mental illness in any given year, many don’t seek help. An advocate is the stop gap, the bridge for people going from “Mental health is all just in your head” to mental health care is just as important to our well-being as our physical health.

Online, you are not just a content creator but also a community leader. After over a year, 50+ interviews, and countless hours of preparation, combined with my training as a mental health first aid provider, a NoStigmas ally, and an Ambassador for Takethis.org, I’m at a place where people solicit my advice and help on how to advocate for mental health.

Did you know you can be certified in Mental Health First Aid like you can be certified for CPR and First Aid? I ask because I honestly had no idea until I started researching celebrities with mental health issues and found a football player who is very passionate about the cause. It likely won’t come as a surprise to any reader that I am not a sports ball fan, but I sure got excited like one.

Narcissism Personality Disorder is a mental health issue which does not have to be synonymous with being mean or vindictive or even a bad parent. But when all those qualities align we, as children, are forced to learn bad habits in order to survive our toxic environment. Here’s a list that may help identify negative coping behaviors we may have picked up through our shared experiences as children of narcissists.