Editor’s Note: This story mentions a variety of traumatic events. Reader discretion is advised.

Four Minnesotans shared their process of overcoming mental health struggles with the Minnesota Daily to bring awareness to Mental Health Awareness Month this May.

The National Alliance on Mental Health reports that one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness. In Minnesota alone, one in four people lives with a serious mental illness, while about 40% of adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depression.

The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 988, is a 24/7 crisis line for immediate support. Anyone who has thoughts of hurting themselves or others is encouraged to call 911. The City of Minneapolis also offers a Behavior Crisis Response program providing trauma-informed first responders to crisis situations.

Each person deals with mental health differently. Here are four different stories.

Misty Dearing’s mental health journey

Misty Dearing’s mental health journey started when she was 3 years old. Dearing said her father was psychologically and sexually abusive, kidnapping her for about eight days at the age of 13 after her parents divorced.

Her father was never prosecuted and no one knew about the abuse until after Dearing’s first hospitalization in 2008, at 32. She was hospitalized again in 2015 at age 39.

Dearing said dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR, have been pivotal in her healing.

The Cleveland Clinic defines DBT as psychotherapy that helps people develop skills to regulate their emotions, and EMDR is another form of psychotherapy used to help individuals process traumatic experiences through specific eye movements.

“It was really hard to get it all out there, but now that it’s out there, that shame goes away,” Dearing said. “You don’t have to go tell everyone, of course, but find someone you can talk to about it because that takes all the shame away and helps you start to heal.”

Dearing is a part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, and speaks at in-person or online events on behalf of the In Our Own Voices program through NAMI, which helps change attitudes, assumptions and ideas about people with mental health conditions.

Dearing added that it is important to keep trying despite the challenges of finding the right support.

“Right at the beginning stages, you may not find a therapist that you click with,” Dearing said. “I would say just keep trying. Because once you get that right therapist, it changes everything.”

A big part of mental health journeys is to understand that you are not going to cure your mental health, but you can manage it, Dearing said. Writing a book about her journey was another way for Dearing to cope with her own journey.

“Being able to manage it, it takes some hard work to figure out, like what boundaries we need to set into place,” Dearing said. “Who do we need to forgive? Ourselves? Others? Making room in your heart for that as well as being mindful in the present. These are the things that give me a life worth living.”

Abigail Sheila Morara’s journey

Abigail Sheila Morara is a first-year student at the University of Minnesota studying psychology and statistical practice. Growing up, she felt she had a picture-perfect family, until she and her siblings got older.

Morara said arguments about piercings or drug use caused screaming matches in her household every night. She wondered if her dysfunctional family was her fault but never showed her guilt on the outside.

“I had really good grades, I was super talkative, I was active in class, I would hang out with my friends, all of those things,” Morara said. “So when I got to the point where I was as overwhelmed as I was with my family situation, I tried to take my own life. I think it took a lot of people by surprise because they hadn’t really seen that side of me.”

Her first suicide attempt was when she was 13.

Morara said what saved her from a second suicide attempt was people reaching out to her after her hospitalization and going to therapy. She said there does not need to be a big event to reach out to someone.

“If even just in your gut you feel like something is wrong with somebody in your life, say something, reach out to them, because you never know how severe it can get,” Morara said.

She is one of the board members for Active Minds, a club at the University that prioritizes mental health. While the club is new, there are plans to connect club events with Boynton Health’s Pet Away Worry & Stress, or PAWS, and create an open space for people to join.

While getting involved in faith groups helped her personally, she said finding common ground is a good way to build connections.

“It’s important to have mental health practices that you can practice on your own, like gratitude and affirmations and things like that, but then on top of that, getting connected with people,” Morara said.

Some other resources the University offers include Boynton Health’s counseling and mental health services. Morara is a Boynton Health advocate and said there are resources specific to all sorts of people, including LGBT+, people with disabilities and people struggling with substance use.

Sierra Grandy’s mental health story

Sierra Grandy’s mental health journey started when she was 11. During that summer, she called the police on herself as she was dealing with suicidal ideations.

Grandy ended up being admitted to her first 72-hour hold in a hospital after that phone call. She continued going in and out of hospitals for the rest of her childhood.

Three months after being placed out of the county, she was admitted to a residential treatment clinic at the age of 14. By 18 years old, Grandy underwent electroconvulsive therapy, losing a year of her memory in the process. The therapy triggers a seizure in a certain part of the brain to reverse the symptoms of mental illnesses.

The therapy left her unable to remember graduating high school or starting her first year of college in 2019. After her last hospitalization in 2018, Grandy started the path to recovery in 2019.

“I started to feel like I had way more control over my mental health, primarily due to a change in my food, movement, sleep and I also found a treatment that worked really well,” Grandy said.

She went to the University’s law school and had a full neurological evaluation at her psychiatrist’s recommendation for bar exam accommodations, finding out she has autism, ADHD, anxiety and depression. Grandy graduated in May 2024.

Grandy got involved with NAMI to become a volunteer to help support others in their mental health journeys.

Pretending to be in a video game helps her take better care of herself. She said it makes daily tasks, like cleaning, easier and that she will put on Animal Crossing music to do things like organize her apartment.

“If I’m doing my advocacy work or speaking engagements, thinking of it more like Skyrim, where the stakes are higher, this is important, but I can put on armor and make myself stronger and be more strategic about the way that I am fighting dragons,” Grandy said. “That’s helpful for me.”

Resources to help find the right care include question, persuade, refer, or QPR, and the fast tracker website, Grandy said. People trained in QPR recognize warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help and the fast tracker website helps locate mental health resources based on specific insurance and locations.

“I feel my symptoms every day. Mental health recovery is a journey, not a destination,” Grandy said.

Zach Soule’s mental health journey

Fourth-year University student Zach Soule’s journey started in his senior year of high school, following his fifth major concussion while playing football.

After regaining consciousness, Soule felt this concussion was different from the rest. He felt mentally fine in the moment but could not stop crying once safely resting on the sidelines.

Soule said the recovery process was difficult as he struggled to focus and learn every day. After developing general anxiety and tinnitus, Soule decided to stop pursuing college football and focus on his mental health.

“It was probably one of the lowest points of my life,” Soule said. “Just trying to deal with all the symptoms of the concussion, then the fact that my future plans were just completely not going to plan and the fear of any future symptoms that might pop up with the concussion was definitely a concern.” 

Once Soule came to the University, he got involved in the Carlson School of Management’s mental health and wellness team during his first year. He then started a student club, Lost and Found, to educate students about mental health while participating in activities, such as creating pillowcases after learning about the benefits of a good night’s sleep. 

The biggest way Soule said he got the support he needed was not through medications but through therapy and support from family and friends. 

“It was hard for me to reach out and ask for help. Once I started opening up about what I was going through with my friends and my family, like they were super understanding and they just made me feel better about the whole situation,” Soule said. “They were able to give me that little bit of extra care that they didn’t know that I needed.”

It is important to continue to try and reach out when you need help, Soule said. If you are able to connect with professionals, they can help you find the resources you need. 

“I always think that it’s best, like the best way to spread positive mental health, is talking about your journey and just being a little vulnerable,” Soule said.