Chris

Chris originally shared his story with Like Minds, Like Mine, a public awareness program to end discrimination against, and increase social inclusion towards, people with mental distress or illness in New Zealand. Learn more at likeminds.org.nz. 

“For the most part, I manage and deal with it quite well, leading a normal life, really.” Chris Naylor, a senior community support worker, has lived with depression since his mid-teens and was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder in 2018. Chris has faced people’s discriminatory attitudes towards his mental distress made life harder. “Shortly before I was admitted to Wellington Hospital, a flatmate said: ”If I’d known you had depression, I wouldn’t have lived with you.’ That comment stuck with me for years. The judgement that goes with that is like putting a building up on top of someone else’s shoulders.” “Whether you have experiences of family having mental distress or not, you can still be there for people and carry hope for them. You don’t have to know what someone’s going through, but you can listen non-judgmentally.” “We need to stamp out stigma and create an environment that demystifies mental illness and empowers people with mental illness to disclose.”

Read the full story shared by Chris with Like Minds, Like Mine : https://www.likeminds.org.nz/home/story/130/chris