I'm Olivia, 17 years old and currently battling mental illness. I have been diagnosed with Major Depression, Social Anxiety and EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) and suffered from self harm.

 

I will be cutting all my hair off on Monday 13th January 2014, and donating it to the Little Princess Trust which is a charity that makes wigs for children suffering with cancer. The money I raise from this event will be given to Mind, a mental health charity that helps to save lives.

 

Having been recognised for my long ginger curly hair for such a long time, cutting my hair off goes in recognition to all those young girls who have lost their hair to cancer. This wasn't these girls choice to do so, however I'm making this MY choice to acknowledge how brave and beautiful they are. Beauty isn't shown from your hair, clothes or your makeup; it's on the inside.

People have asked me why I want to do such a long term thing, and my reason is that I don't want the next day to be the same as the day before the event. My hair will take time to grow back and i hope this would be able to raise more awareness to my cause.

 

I have been suffering with mental health problems for the past 18 months now and I believe this is my time to raise awareness. Many people tend to skim over anything to do with mental health as they find it 'hard' or 'awkward' to talk about. But what would you do if you later found out that your best friend, your sibling, your neighbour or your parent was suffering with mental illness? Wouldn't you wish you'd spoken up sooner and been able to help them? I'm sure you would. 

 

Mental illness doesn't discriminate against anyone. Whether you're young or old, rich or poor, female or male. 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. Some will get the help they need, but others will suffer in silence. Too ashamed to speak up. But why? It's an illness, not a choice. 

If someone had cancer, would you tell them to 'just get better' or 'you really need to get outside more'? No, you wouldn't. So what's the difference in telling someone with depression 'just snap out of it and be happy!' or someone suffering with an eating disorder 'eat this and you'll feel so much better' or someone with an anxiety disorder 'stop being such a stresshead'. Why do we think that those statements are acceptable? Because they're not.

 

Depression is like being at the bottom of a pitch black hole and round the corner. So wherever you look, you can't see the light. You just hear noises of the people living their lives above you. No matter how hard you try to climb out of this hole, you always fall back down into the darkness. Try imagining feeling numb and desperate every day, unable to find the energy to even get out of bed. You lose most of your friends, either because they don't understand or know what to say, or because you can't find the energy and motivation to leave the house and see them. You go from a bubbly, sociable person into a complete introvert who doesn't leave the house. THAT'S depression. It's not being sad for a few days because your mum wouldn't buy you the latest seasons clothing item you've seen or because your boyfriend dumped you. It's a mental illness.

 

I am currently in treatment and on the upward journey of recovery. It has been a very hard and long 18 months for myself, my family and friends. But without my CAMHS team and family supporting me, I don't know where I'd be. I never thought I'd meet my best friends while in such a dark place, but I have. And we're all going to fight this together.

 

So please, help me raise awareness for mental health by sharing this with your family and friends and donating what you can. Thank you.