Brave YouTube Star Opens Up About Depression

Depression affects 350 million people around the world, but it's still a taboo topic. In a new video, YouTuber Laci Green works to shatter the mental illness stigma by opening up about her own struggle with depression.

Green begins by explaining that "it’s hard to talk about dealing with depression is because a lot of people don’t really understand it.” She goes on to describe what depression is like for her. “My entire being is drained of all joy and hope and happiness,” Green says in the video before equating the feeling to the way Dementors in Harry Potter “suck people’s souls out.”

The symptoms associated with depression vary from person to person, yet Green argues that “the worst thing” any person with depression can do is keep their feelings inside. She urges viewers who struggle with mental illness to open up to the people in their lives.

Green’s brave decision to talk about her depression is a reminder that mental illness needs to be discussed out in the open. "I don’t fuckin’ know, maybe it doesn’t get better right away," Green says. "What I do know is that you get stronger, I get stronger."