10 MENTAL HEALTH YOUTUBERS WE'RE HERE FOR

(It's actually 11... but 10 sounds better)

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​*Disclaimer* ​This article features mental health related videos. Due to the nature of mental illness, we advise viewer discretion for anyone sensitive to topics such as suicide, self-harm, and/or abuse. Several videos have been issued with topic-specific trigger warnings, but caution is advised for all.
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1)   KIERA ROSE | Dermatillomania, Anxiety & Depression.​

This video discusses Dermatillomania; an impulse-control disorder, in which the skin is repetitively picked, often resulting in wounds. For this reason, we advise viewer discretion, and issue a severe trigger warning to anyone sensitive to topics such as self-harm.

When she’s not serving cosy, bohemian visuals, (or giving us serious tattoo envy), Kiera Rose provides an honest and informative insight into her life with Dermatillomania. Not to be confused with Trichotillomania, Kiera knows all too well the stigma and ignorance impulse-control disorders are often met with. Sharing her experiences through chit-chats; get-ready-with-mes; and story-times, she offers her advice and support to 200,000+ subscribers. Kiera, like us, loves a good cosplay, and scores extra points with Grace and Jenny for all the vegan taste-tests!

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​2)   MAYA IMANI-AMANI | Schizophrenia & Depression.​

This video has been issued with a severe trigger warning. Discussing her diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Maya recounts her abusive childhood, as well as a familial suicide, and instances of self-harm. If you - or anyone you know - has been a victim of abuse, you can find support by contacting the Samaritans. Similarly, if you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please bypass this section, and immediately contact the Samaritans.

​In a society where “mild” mental health illnesses are still stigmatised, it’s hard for us to imagine life with a form of psychosis. The marginalisation only intensifies when anxiety turns into paranoia; depression into catatonia. Accordingly, not only is Maya’s channel affirmative for those with similar conditions, it’s crucial for an inclusive mental health narrative. Maya’s channel is relatively new (less than a year old) but, from what we’ve seen, she’s incredibly creative, compassionate, and brave. If you’re someone who enjoys long story-time/chit-chat style videos, we’d definitely recommend checking out the above!

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3)   JOHN GREEN | Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

After seeing so many of you at YALC 2017, it would be a crime not to include this one. John Green - award winning author of Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and more - uses his shared channel, “vlogbrothers”, to, we quote, “raise nerdy to the power of awesome”. Perplexing maths joke aside, we’re thrilled to see John using his platform to spread mental health awareness. As someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, John critiques the appropriation of “OCD” to describe actions (as opposed to compulsions) that are performed almost universally. He also emphasises the importance of celebrating small successes; being kind to your unwell self; and recognising the lies that anxiety spews. Amongst the dad jokes, popular culture, and random (but appreciated) cat videos, vlogbrothers is a definite subscribe from us!

​4)   SAVANNAH BROWN | Eating Disorders, Anxiety & Depression.

Originally from Ohio, Savannah Brown now lives in London, in what we can only presume to be an artistic and electric district, with plenty of independent coffeeshops, and nightly gigs by bands we’ll probably be obsessed with in a few years. Aside from the creative, indie aesthetic (which, if you can’t tell, we love), Sav has made some great videos R.E mental health. Drawing on her experiences with eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, Savannah is dedicated to producing content that shows the actualities (not the romanticised ideas) of mental illness. We love Sav’s raw and potent slam-poetry, as well as her dreamy song covers.

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5)   TRICHJOURNAL | Trichotillomania, Dermatillomania & Depression.

Trigger Warning: The above video concerns impulse-control disorders Trichotillomania and Dermatillomania, as well as depression. For educational purposes, the creator has included photographs detailing the effects of Trichotillomania. We issue a severe trigger warning to anyone who is sensitive to this topic, and advise viewer discretion to those effected by issues such as self-harm.

Before discovering Beckie’s channel, there was a lot about Trichotillomania we didn’t know. For example, did you know that Trichotillomania effects millions globally, with symptoms first commonly appearing between ages 11-13? TrichJournal is a hub of informative, encouraging, and compelling videos, covering all things Trich related. We love that Beckie has an entire channel dedicated to mental health, and consider her pre-eminent in Impulse-Control Disorder awareness.

6)   EMILY ROSE | Anxiety.

Soft fairy-lights; a bookshelf backdrop; a unique and wintery wardrobe - it’s safe to say that we’re not just here for, but LIVING for Emily Rose’s channel. As an anxiety sufferer, Emily is dedicated to normalising mental health, and promotes self-care in the form of small, but personal rewards. She believes in responsible, inclusive representation, and has spoken out about eating disorders, OCD, and depression in the past. We particularly love her “Anxiety and…” series, which explores the innumerable ways in which anxiety affects day-to-day activities.  

7)   JACKSGAP | Depression.

With over 4 million subscribers, JacksGap is a leading pro-mental health channel. In 2015, Jack opened up about his personal experiences with depression, and continues to promote honest, inclusive conversations about mental health. His video above has received over 1.5 million views, and currently has 3,900 comments! That’s almost 4000 contributions to the mental health narrative; not including the independent forum, “Let’s Talk About Mental Health”, he set up. Take a look at his channel, and be sure to have your voice heard in the discussion!

 
8)   (ED)UCATING SHANNY | Eating Disorders, Body Dysmorphia & Depression.

 Trigger Warning: This video (posted for Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2017) talks, in depth, about the physical, mental, and emotional effects of eating disorders. If you are someone who is likely to be triggered by such topics, we recommend skipping to #9.

EDucating Shanny is perhaps one of the most important ED awareness platforms on the internet. Uploading almost every day, Shannon (Shanny) has documented the past 2 years of her life with bulimia and anorexia and, my gosh, has it been emotional. We’ve witnessed the highs of new-found recovery, the lows of sudden relapse, and just about everything in between. Two of Shanny’s most viewed videos - “A Day in the Life of a Bulimic” and “9 Ways Bulimia DESTROYS Your Teeth” - show the destructive, often untold effects of EDs, including the loss of her teeth. Two years ago, Shannon embarked on a new road to recovery, and she’s taken her ever-expanding “Shanny Family” with her. 
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9)   JONNY BENJAMIN | Schizoaffective Disorder.

Johnny was first diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder in 2007. Following an abrupt relapse in 2014, he began making YouTube videos more frequently; documenting his journey in what he (cleverly) coined “recoverlogs”. Johnny is an incredibly influential presence on YouTube: not only breaking the stigma surrounding severe mental disorders, but tackling gender discrepancies in the pro-mental health community. LGBTQA+ activist and an exceptionally creative producer, Johnny has released several short documentaries, including the one above!

10)    UNITED AS ONE VOICE | Anxiety.​

We might be showing off just a little bit with this one…
Recognise this lovely face? Josh, from “United as One Voice” on Twitter and BlogSpot, is one of the many talented HMIY blog contributors, and also runs his very own YouTube channel! For those of you who are yet to be introduced, Josh suffers from anxiety, and has been blogging/vlogging/tweeting about his illness since 2016. Josh is an incredibly strong individual and, (although we might be a little bias), we couldn’t recommend his channel more!

 
11)    HELLO ME, IT’S YOU | Mental Health Awareness.

BONUS POST! 
Another obvious choice, in our (not-so-humble) opinion. Did you guys know we have our very own YouTube channel? Admittedly, *pouts*, we haven’t been the best at posting on there recently, but meeting so many of you at YALC has inspired us to dust off the tripods, and start filming our adventures! Subscribe for more videos of Hannah’s beautiful face; some vlogs; reviews; and announcements, and be sure to comment on this post with any video requests!
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Grace is a 21-year-old English student, responsible for the blog editing and newsletter writing for Hello Me, It's You. In 2017, following a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, she set herself the challenge to live unashamedly for one year. Six months, one blog, and a bold haircut later, she is finally starting to overcome the anxiety and depression that she once felt defined her. She loves tea, David Attenborough and, above all, Beyoncé.

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