Just like our physical health, our mental health goes through cycles with changing times. Sometimes, things are great, and other times, not so much. This realization makes it easier for many to talk about their mental health issues. Our selection of mental health quotes encourages us to be aware of the impact of mental health, start a conversation, and look out for the mental health of ourselves and others.
The World Health Organisation recently reported that one in every four (about 450million) people worldwide have some form of mental ill-health. These issues range from the mildest forms of anxiety disorders to severe conditions like chronic depression and schizophrenia.
Unfortunately, even with access to information, there’s still a stigma associated with mental health topics that prevent the majority from seeking help. According to this WHO report, about 67% of persons dealing with mental issues do not seek professional help.
These mental health quotes bring to the fore the importance of these discussions. And specifically, the need for anyone with mental ill-health to seek help as they would for a physical ailment.
Related: To find out more about mental illness, mental health, its prevalence, and some of the work to address it check out our list of mental health facts and statistics.
It's so important that we all speak up on mental health.
Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson is an English singer-songwriter boasting of several UK Singles Charting songs, including "Rockabye" (on amazon), featuring Sean Paul. Anne-Marie more recently became a mental health advocate after revealing her mental health challenges.
After assuming she may be bi-polar, a trip to the psychotherapist revealed Anne-Marie to be an Empath instead. This is why speaking up and reaching out - whether to friends and family or professionals - is important.
Talking to a professional in particular brings you closer to a proper diagnosis. Which means understanding yourself and the various ways you can improve your mental health.
Change the way we all talk to each other about our mental health.
We have seen that two heads are better than one when dealing with a mental health problem.
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, known as Kate Middleton, is a member of the British royal family. Middleton is especially active in dealing with issues surrounding mental health. In 2016, she initiated ‘Heads Together’ with Prince William to encourage people to open up about their mental health issues.
Middleton’s mental health quotes remind us that we should discuss the issue with more open-mindedness. We need to tear down the current stigma attached to speaking about mental illness. Research has identified education of the public as a way to encourage dialogue about mental health. And this is what Middleton intends to achieve through her work.
Mental health needs a great deal of attention. It's the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.
Famous as the lead singer of Adam and the Ants (Amazon), Adam Ant is an English singer. He scored 10 UK top ten hits as a solo artist, including three UK No. 1 singles. He also worked as an actor, appearing in over two dozen films and television episodes over the years. Adam Ant has battled with a range of mental health problems. Specifically bouts of depression which led to drug misuse and overdose.
Members of different societies often see mental health issues as taboo topics. Speaking up about having one may garner a not-so-warm response from others. Adam Ant’s mental health quote recommends talking regardless as an all-out approach to dealing with the stigma associated with this issue.
I believe the biggest stigma right now, with mental health, is that a lot of men are not talking about it.
Play-by-play announcer, Mauro Domenico Ranallo, is a Canadian sports commentator and mental health advocate. Ranallo lives with bipolar disorder after being diagnosed at the age of 19 in 1989. He is currently signed as a play-by-play announcer with MMA, WWE and has experience in Canadian football, ice hockey, boxing, and kickboxing.
Talking about mental health can be challenging for men as society generally does not provide an environment where men can talk about their feelings. This may be why 3 of every 4 suicides are by men. It may also tell us why men are three times more likely to be alcohol dependent than women.
There are so many cliches associated with mental health - such as the 'fine line between lunacy and genius' - which are, on the whole, a load of rubbish.
“One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn't fall apart.”
~ Linda Poindexter
The response from the beginning has been really, really wonderful and positive. People have always really responded to me talking about mental health.
Cleveland-born Lili Reinhart developed a love for singing, acting, and dancing at the relatively early age of 10. She began to pursue her acting and singing career at the age of 18 in Los Angeles. Some of her more popular TV roles include playing Betty Cooper on Riverdale and Annabelle on Hustlers.
Reinhart is very open about her struggles with depression. Research has shown that talking may be as effective as medication when dealing with depression. With Talk Therapy, we encourage people to talk to family, friends, or a therapist. And as her mental health quotes reflect, the reception to sharing can prove positive. Sadly, this is not always the case and when we talk about our feelings concern persists of a negative reaction.
Related: Read more about how and why to Share Your Mental Health Story
I often say that the opposite of depression is not happiness but vitality.
Andrew Solomon is a New York-based writer who writes on politics, culture, and psychology. Solomon has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Artforum, Travel and Leisure, and other publications on a range of subjects, including depression. His book The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (on amazon) won the National Book Award.
As a Ph.D. holder in psychology and as someone who battled with depression, Solomon’s view about depression is that many depressed people are happy in public. But it’s not about the smiles in public. It’s about the vitality- the capacity to live, the energy to forge on- “seeping away from you” in the moments when you’re alone.
Mental health is an area where people are embarrassed. They don't want to talk about it because somehow they feel they're a failure as a parent or, you know, they're embarrassed for their child or they want to protect their child, lots of very good reasons, but mental health, I feel, is something that you have to talk about.
I wanted to write a story about my struggles with depression and mental health. It's an issue that needs to be talked about more.
“Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.”
~ Fred Rogers
“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation about illnesses that affect not only individuals, but their families as well.”
~ Glenn Close
Mental health isn't all of me, but it's a massive part of my journey and a massive part of my whole being.
Adwoa Caitlin Maria Aboah is a British fashion model who has been on the cover of American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Poland, and i-D. She was voted the best Model of the Year for models.com in 2017. Aboah self-medicated with drugs from a young age due to depression. She attempted suicide by overdose in 2015, which put her in a four-day coma before recovering in a psychiatric hospital.
Overcoming a mental health issue is no small feat. Aboah believes, as she shares in this mental health quote, that being mentally healthy was key in her recovery. When you take care of your mental health, physiological needs become easier to manage.
“Nobody can save you but yourself, and you're worth saving. It's a war not easily won, but if anything is worth winning then this is it.”
~ Charles Bukowski
“Every negative belief weakens the partnership between mind and body.”
~ Deepak Chopra
“Take your time healing, as long as you want. Nobody else knows what you've been through. How could they know how long it will take to heal you?”
~ Abertoli
Our picks of the best mental health quotes can highlight that sometimes life can feel overwhelming. Entering into the unknown can prove scary, while pain can chip away at our hope in life. Addiction and physical distress can further exacerbate or instigate suffering, which can lead to mental health needs and problems.
People who live with mental health conditions often find hope in connecting with others who may share the struggle. Others who’ve recovered or learned to manage their condition can find themselves motivated to share advice.
We have made much progress to grow awareness of mental health and reduce stigma. Today, however, as these mental health quotes talk about, physical health often remains a priority due is more visible nature.
We need, ultimately, to be able to view mental health with the same clear-headedness we show when talking about physical health.
Matt Haig is a novelist and journalist. He has written both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults, often in the speculative fiction genre. His books include The Last Family In England, The Dead Fathers Club, and Shadow Forest (all on Amazon), which won the 2007 Nestle Children’s Book Prize. He suffered from a major depressive disorder at an early age, once attempting suicide by jumping off the roof.
We can often see signs of physical illnesses. With mental health, there’s a shroud of uncertainty. Its symptoms of illness can be challenging to notice. Most people with varying mental health issues are not even aware of their conditions. Haig’s mental health quote advises that we should place similar values on both psychological and physical health.
There is no health without mental health; mental health is too important to be left to the professionals alone, and mental health is everyone's business.
Indian psychiatrist and researcher Vikram Harshad Patel is best known for his work on child development and mental disability in low-resource areas. He is the Co-Founder and former Director of the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Co-Director of the Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions, and the Co-Founder of Sangath, an Indian NGO dedicated to research in the areas of child development, adolescent health, and mental health.
Mental health issues are too widespread for us to leave them entirely to professionals. We all have to lend a hand. These mental health quotes point out that if opportunities arise to listen, lend an ear to others, speak to and motivate others and be there for them, we owe it to ourselves to do so.
Should one of your employees have a physical or mental health problem, I would argue that it is as much something for the employer as the individual to contend with.
“A sad soul can be just as lethal as a germ.”
~ John Steinbeck
“I used to be embarrassed of my broken parts. Not anymore… Even in pieces, I'm worth having.”
~ Alfa
“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”
~ B.K.S. Iyengar
I won't say that writing is therapy, but for me, the act of writing is therapy. The ability to be productive is good for my mental health. It's always better for me to be writing than vegetating on some couch.
Raymond E. Feist, alias Raymond Elias Gonzales III, is an American fantasy fiction author who wrote The Riftwar Cycle (amazon), a series of novels and short stories. This series includes the acclaimed The Riftwar Saga, The Riftwar Legacy, and The Empire Trilogy. Publishers have translated his books into multiple languages and have sold over 15 million copies around the world.
Feist shares via his mental health quote that being productive and intentional helps him manage his mental health issues. Staying positively active helps to keep our minds away from dark places. It helps to find a creative outlet where you can channel your feelings and let them out.
Exercise keeps me occupied, which is good for my mental health.
Television Personality, Gail Porter, is a presenter, former model, and actress. She started her television career in children's TV before making her way out into modeling and presenting mainstream TV. Porter suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. In Porter’s case, her alopecia triggered several mental health issues, including bipolar disorder.
In September 2011, Porter shared her detainment story with BBC Radio 5 Live's Phil Williams. A hospital detained her under the Mental Health Act of 2007 for 17 days of treatment against her will after sending suicidal texts to her boyfriend.
Eventually, Porter was able to find some balance through her routines and habits, including exercising. An effective way of improving mental health is by exercising daily. Exercising releases feel-good chemical responses such as serotonin and endorphins, which help to improve your mood. These, in turn, help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
Strictly' has taught me that activity outside work is good for my mental health.
“You don't have to be positive all the time. It's perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, and anxious. Having feelings doesn't make you a negative person. It makes you human.”
~ Lori Deschene
“Sometimes self care is exercise and eating right. Sometimes it's spending time with loved ones or taking a nap. And sometimes, it's watching an entire season of TV in one weekend while you lounge around in your pajamas. Whatever soothes your soul.”
~ Nanea Hoffman
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
The first step to safeguarding public mental health is removing the stigma around it. We need to dispel the myths surrounding mental health through concerted effort. Whereas mental health quotes might play a small role, our actions must reflect our desire to make a difference. A study by two researchers at the University of Chicago Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation offers a solution.
Counter this stigma with three steps: protest, education, and contact.
We protest to diminish negative attitudes towards people living with mental illness effectively. Educate to propagate useful positive information. And contact through interactions with people who are ready to speak about their journeys with their mental health.
For many, mental health treatment and recovery is a process of engaging with those that care and professionals who can support their journey.
A child's mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support.
I won't say that writing is therapy, but for me, the act of writing is therapy. The ability to be productive is good for my mental health. It's always better for me to be writing than vegetating on some couch.
Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity, because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back to the same question and never get an answer.
Most aid agencies do not even consider proposals to treat mental health problems; those that do think of it as a minor player, overshadowed by the pressing need to save lives by treating physical illness.
What I do now is I train in the mornings, and people ask me why I do it. I do it for two reasons: first of all, to keep in shape, but secondly, I think training, sport, and physical activity is really good for mental health.
