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Confessions of an Honor Roll Manic Depressive | Valeria Hernandez | TEDxUF

Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety. These illnesses might sound scary, but who experiences them? Anyone, including high-functioning individuals who may seem the least likely to live with these, says University of Florida student activist Valeria Hernandez.

Together, she urges, we can break the stigmas associated with mental health conditions to reveal that success and mental illness are not mutually exclusive. Valeria Hernandez is a fourth-year psychology and family, youth, and community sciences dual degree student at the University of Florida and an advocate for mental health.

As an advocate, Valeria has worked to spread awareness of mental health issues on school campuses and to increase mental health preventative care resources for students in primary and secondary education. Her goal is to diminish the stigmas associated with mental health conditions and allow those suffering from these stigmas to feel comfortable validating their experiences and seeking the help they need to improve their quality of life. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format