This is one creative way to be a mental health advocate.
After being diagnosed with bipolar I disorder, a serious mental illness that causes manic episodes and periods of depression, poet Yashi Brown decided to educate everyone about her condition through her art. She wrote a powerful poem titled “Passion...It’s Overrated?” to capture what it’s like to be affected by the mental illness.
“My brain can’t control itself so I need you to help me and be patient,” part of the poem reads, which Brown performs in the HuffPost Rise video above. “Don’t go.”
Brown is hoping her work inspires individuals with mental health conditions to embrace their disorders and realize they’re not alone. She also hopes it encourages them to seek support.
“You have to figure out a way to get help,” Brown said. “I am very grateful to have found the right combination of treatments and doctors and medicines. ... There is no health without mental health.”
Take a look at the video above to hear more of Brown’s poetry and her effort to create awareness for bipolar disorder.