These simple badges are helping social media users talk about mental illness

These simple badges are helping social media users talk about mental illness. People living with mental illness and other invisible conditions are fighting stigma head-on, thanks to a new social media campaign. A collection of simple online badges, created by 28-year-old mental health advocate Kat Selwyn Layton from North Carolina, features declarative statements about mental health on colorful backgrounds. The Star Wars actress was a fierce advocate for mental health communities, and bravely vocalized her own experiences with bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. Image: End The stigma/Facebook Through the campaign, Layton encourages people to use the badges as their profile pictures, or make a collage of several badges if they live with multiple illnesses or conditions. Using the hashtag #EndTheStigma, social media users are doing just that — sharing the badges across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to help end the silence around mental health and invisible conditions. Image: End The Stigma/Facebook But Layton and the admins of the End the Stigma page know the ability to share these badges isn't universal. Some people living with mental illness, after all, do not have the freedom to be so open about their experiences. "We have noticed that some people aren't able to share the badges they relate to, as the stigma is still too much for them and sharing may have a negative effect on their lives," one admin, Gemma, recently wrote on the page. Image: End The stigma/Facebook The ongoing campaign's badges may be simple, but they're inspiring those living with mental illness and invisible conditions to share their stories and connect with the broader community.