Panic Attack: Before-and-After Photos Teach Mental Health Understanding

Before-and-after photos of a panic attack uploaded to Facebook by a 22-year-old British woman seeking to bring attention to mental health issues have gone viral, with her post being shared over 16,000 times since April 3.

Smith's photos, along with a message about her struggle with anxiety, appeared to touch many hearts on social media.



"I'm so sick of the fact that it's 2016 and there is still so much stigma around mental health," Smith wrote on her Facebook post. "It disgusts me that so many people are so uneducated and judgmental over the topic. They say that one in three people will suffer with a mental illness at some point in their life. One in three!

"Do you know how many people that equates to worldwide?! And yet I've been battling with anxiety and depression for years and years and there's still people that make comments like 'you'll get over it,' 'you don't need tablets, just be happier,' 'you're too young to suffer with that,'" Smith continued.

Self magazine wrote that Smith's Facebook post showed bravery.

"Thanks to social media, it's easier than ever to decide how you want to present yourself to the world," wrote Self magazine. "Of course, the pressure to be picture-perfect is so real, especially when you see everyone else's impressive, art-directed photos. That's why it's beyond impressive when people open up about how their social media selves don't tell the full story."

According to MentalHealth.gov, mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being states, affecting how people think, feel, and act. Mental health also determines how people handle things like stress, relationships with others, and making choices, noted the website.

Mental health problems can be affected by biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry, life experiences, such as trauma or abuse, and family history of mental health problems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of 20 Americans ages 12 and older suffered from depression alone in 2005–2006.

"To anyone who is going through the same, please do not suffer in silence," Smith said in her Facebook post. "There is so much support around. … "This is why I can't stress enough that it costs nothing to be nice to others."

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