【Watch Girl Scout Nookies 15 Online】

People living with mental illness and Watch Girl Scout Nookies 15 Onlineother invisible conditions are fighting stigma head-on, thanks to a new social media campaign.

A collection of simple online badges, created by 28-year-old mental health advocate Kat Selwyn Layton from North Carolina, features declarative statements about mental health on colorful backgrounds. Called #EndTheStigma, the campaign lets users post the badges to their accounts, talk about living with invisible illnesses, conditions or disorders, and show others that they aren't alone.

SEE ALSO: 7 initial ways you can be a better mental health ally and advocate

The result is an online mental health movement helping to tackle shame and break the silence around often misunderstood experiences.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Layton started small, posting several badges on her personal Facebook page on Dec. 30.

Just one week later, it's now morphed into a viral campaign that has reached social media users around the world. She's even started creating badges on request, hoping to represent a spectrum of experiences for anyone who wants to advocate for their conditions.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

To accommodate the growing movement, Layton created a dedicated End the Stigma Facebook page for the effort. She also brought on volunteer admins to help monitor the week-old page -- which already has more than 26,000 likes -- for potentially triggering comments and for users who need referrals to professional resources.

"Just because an illness is often invisible, it doesn't mean your battle should go unrecognized."

Approximately 1 in 5 American adults -- or almost 19% of the U.S. population -- experiences mental illness in a given year.

But the stigma around living with these conditions often keeps people silent, and aids in negative opinions of those living with mental illness.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Just because an illness is often invisible, it doesn't mean your battle should go unrecognized," Layton wrote on the Facebook page.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder almost 10 years ago, Layton told The Huffington Postshe was inspired to start the campaign after the Dec. 27 death of Carrie Fisher. The Star Wars actress was a fierce advocate for mental health communities, and bravely vocalized her own experiences with bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Through the campaign, Layton encourages people to use the badges as their profile pictures, or make a collage of several badges if they live with multiple illnesses or conditions.

Using the hashtag #EndTheStigma, social media users are doing just that -- sharing the badges across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to help end the silence around mental health and invisible conditions.

"I want the badges to start a conversation, make everyone feel a part of something and help them brave the path to ending stigma," she told The Huffington Post.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But Layton and the admins of the End the Stigma page know the ability to share these badges isn't universal. Some people living with mental illness, after all, do not have the freedom to be so open about their experiences.

"Be proud of your fight. Be proud of your survival."

"We have noticed that some people aren't able to share the badges they relate to, as the stigma is still too much for them and sharing may have a negative effect on their lives," one admin, Gemma, recently wrote on the page.

"We just wanted to say that we are still here for you and you are still part of this, even if you can't be open with the rest of the world," she said.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The ongoing campaign's badges may be simple, but they're inspiring those living with mental illness and invisible conditions to share their stories and connect with the broader community.

"Be proud of your accomplishments," Layton wrote. "Be proud of your fight. Be proud of your survival."

---

Featured Video For You

---

Carrie Fisher was a bold advocate for people with mental illness

---

Topics Mental Health Social Good Social Media

• Tech
• Games
• Science
• Shopping
• Life
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture

• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 19: Tips to solve Connections #238
• Best Oura Ring Horizon 3 deal: Save $50 before Prime Day
• UGA vs. Auburn football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
• IRS Direct File expands to new states, tax situations
• Best keyboard deals: Save on Asus gaming keyboards at Amazon
• Best iPad deal: Save over $100 on the Apple iPad 9th Gen
• Best Oura Ring Horizon 3 deal: Save $50 before Prime Day
• Patriots vs. Dolphins 2024 livestream: How to watch NFL for free
• Apple is actively looking at AI search for Safari
• The best early October Prime Day drone deals

• When net neutrality is in peril, this old chart swoops in
• Uber will buy a fleet of 24,000 self
• 'Doom' mod for the original 1993 game adds loot boxes
• Al Franken's female 'SNL' colleagues write open letter defending him
• 9 reasons why Martian Manhunter should have been in 'Justice League'
• This video of Scottish people dancing in the street is guaranteed to cheer you up
• Facebook briefly hid its 'delete' option on posts
• Twitter users protest FCC ending net neutrality
• Texas church shooting reignites the encryption debate between Apple and FBI
• Melinda Gates wrote a moving op

• NYT mini crossword answers for May 12, 2025
• Meta can’t use LGBTQ identity to target ads, EU court rules
• Early Prime Day deals on noise
• Best Kindle deals: Save on Kindle bundles for October Prime Day
• The fat bears are already extremely fat
• Best AirPods Max deal: Save $150 on the Apple AirPods Max
• Best Kindle deals: Save on Kindle bundles for October Prime Day
• Michigan vs. UW football live streams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
• Amazon Prime Grubhub deal: Save $10 off orders of $20 or more
• Patriots vs. Dolphins 2024 livestream: How to watch NFL for free

• A worthless juicer and a Gipper-branded server
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for October 7
• Imagine 3 stars orbiting each other every 4 weeks. It's real.
• Early Prime Day 2024 PlayStation 5 deals
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
• Early Oct. Prime Day gaming deals: PC discounts aplenty
• How not to get scammed on freelance platforms
• Hurricane Milton: Spaghetti models track the storm’s Florida path
• Against Fear
• Check out the early October Prime Day deals on headphones and speakers