It’s safe to say that people who have a mental illness have to put up with a lot more than just their diagnosis.
Before Becca Calla was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Pervasive Mental Disorder, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and Tourette’s Syndrome (which is a neurological disorder) at age 16, she faced a constant onslaught of staring, teasing and verbal abuse. As if that wasn’t hard enough for a young girl, she also had to manage moving from shelter to shelter — and even faced homelessness at one point.
However, since her official diagnoses, she’s been able to receive the help and treatment that she needs. As you can see in her video submission below for Change the View 2014 (a contest that invites Ontario youth to submit short videos that help normalize mental health issues), not only does she cope with her disorders, the happy-go-lucky teen completely owns them.
MORE: Once the Target of Bullies, This Teen With Tourettes Is Making Sure No Other Kid Suffers
“I’ve been playing violin for 10 years. There are so many things I never thought I’d be able to play that I can now play in my sleep,” Becca says as she seriously shreds her violin. “Now, I know how to release my energy in a healthy way instead of getting angry all the time.”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, mental disorders — ranging from mood to eating disorders — are extremely common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older (one in four) and just over 20 percent (or one in five) children suffer from a seriously debilitating mental disorder — whether currently or at some point during their life.
Despite mental illness afflicting such a large segment of the population, broader society doesn’t always accept these individuals, who are often plagued by stigma as well as discrimination.
But treatment, awareness, and education can make a big difference. As Becca says, “Ask anyone that knows me now. I’m the happiest girl because I know I’m getting the right support and help I need.”
Tag: Tourette’s Syndrome
Watch This Wheel of Fortune Contestant Score a Smashing Success
It takes real guts to make your dreams come true — especially when you haven’t had it easy in life.
Trent Girone, 21, has survived multiple brain and heart surgeries and has both Tourette and Asperger syndromes.
But none of that could keep him from living out a very public life-long dream: competing on the long-running game show “Wheel of Fortune.”
According to his contestant profile, he’s loved the show since he was 2. The show gave him the green light last May. As the Huffington Post notes, after 6,000 episodes, Girone is the first special needs competitor on the show.
Watch the clip below and you’ll see the infectiously bubbly Girone easily solve the puzzles “a smashing success” and “cream cheese coffee cake.” He even charmed host Pat Sajak with his obscure “Wheel of Fortune” knowledge.
MORE: The World’s Most Difficult Job and 4 Other Videos That Inspired Us This Month
In the end, Girone didn’t win the show’s top prize, but he walked away with a cool $2,150. As one commenter wrote on the Huffington Post, “As the Dad of a profoundly handicapped child, I can’t begin to explain the joy I have had from watching this clip. Thank you to the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ for your insight into mainstreaming our handicapped population.”
Another commenter remarked, “Congratulations, Trent, on not only achieving your dream of being a contestant, but opening the door to everybody else who shares that dream with you.”
The gracious young man thanked the contestants, staff and Sajak for their assistance and making sure he was “safe and comfortable.”
Girone called the experience “as awesome and amazing as it could be.” And he shared some pearls of wisdom: “My best advice to future contestants is to relax and have a good time. It is a lot of fun, whether you win big or not. That is my number one guarantee.”
Once the Target of Bullies, This Teen With Tourettes Is Making Sure No Other Kid Suffers
Jaylen Arnold knows exactly what it’s like to be attacked for being a little different. The Lakeland, Florida boy was born with Tourette’s Syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes him to involuntarily tic and make sounds. He also has Aspergers Syndrome and severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Unfortunately, his differences made him a target of bullies. As Yahoo! Shine reports, the teasing got so bad he had to be taken out of school. But instead of suffering silently, when he was only 8-years-old, Jaylen decided that he had nothing to be ashamed of and that the bullies would never get to him. He also wanted to make sure no other kid—especially ones with disabilities—would go through what he did.
With the help from his friends and family, Jaylen launched his own charity, the Jaylen’s Challenge Foundation, to put an end to bullying through education and urging tolerance.
MORE: The Brilliant But Simple Way This Teacher Stops Bullying
“Once kids are educated about it, they won’t bully so much,” Jaylen writes on his website. “I put it to the test with the class at the school I attended here for a few months. It was a huge success! You should have seen all the kids coming up to me that use to make fun and copy me. They were actually telling me they were sorry!”
Now 13, Jaylen makes appearances at schools across the country to help banish bullying. According to Yahoo!, the seventh-grader has spoken to more than 60,000 kids, in the hopes that his message will create a domino effect of change.
“I’m trying to make the world a better place in any way that I can, because if I can help one person, then that person can help someone else, and then that person can help someone else,” Jaylen said. “We all come together to end bullying.”
Jaylen’s mission to stamp out bullying has already received national attention. As you can see in the video below, he recently received a $10,000 check from talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres to help him in his cause.
[ph]