Molly Hillery is a writer, a teacher, and a mental health advocate. She has lived with mental illness most of her life, including depression and anxiety, PTSD, an eating disorder, addiction, and self-harm. She is the content coordinator and blog manager of a mental health organization called Where I Stand. By sharing her experience, she aims to provide hope to others who are struggling, to start important discussions, and to erase the stigma associated with mental illness.

Click to tweet: Molly Hillery shares her incredible journey on the i’MpossibleProject #podcast!

Time Stamped Notes

• 3.42The onset of Molly’s first mental illness symptoms(depression) was at age 14
• 4.11 Molly was better able to cope with life after getting on depression medication
• 5.00 Molly was officially diagnosed with depression at 17
• 6.00 Just before high school Molly discovered her father was taking depression medication, which made him human and made her realize depression wasn’t her fault
• 12.11 Molly has had a passion for writing since childhood and in her early adulthood in lent itself to blogging and being an advocate for other people living with mental illness
• 19.13 Molly’s favorite word is “placate,” and her spirit animal is a lion (find out more fun facts about Molly in the Quick Fire Round).

Key Points

• Sometimes a teenager may not be “going through a phase” or be rebellious, they may be living with an undiagnosed mental illness that is causing their questionable behavior
• Community is greater than shame—together we’re stronger

Resources or Websites Mentioned

Molly’s writer Facebook page – www.facebook.com/mollyshillery

Molly’s Instagram pages – @molly_writes @mollyhillery

This is Where I Stand (a blog where various people share personal stories on mental illness) – www.thisiswhereistand.org

Molly wrote a story for The i’Mpossible Project—Volume 2: Changing Minds, Breaking Stigma, Achieving the Impossible – www.iampossibleproject.com/two