Sara-Jayne grew up in a Catholic household where talking about mental illness was taboo. “I knew the way that I thought and felt things was different, but it wasn't until my early twenties that I realized just how impactful it was on my whole life,” she tells Verywell. When she decided to seek professional help as an adult, she was diagnosed with <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-clinical-depression-1067309">major depressive disorder </a>, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/dsm-5-criteria-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder-1393147">generalized anxiety disorder </a>, and later, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/requirements-for-ptsd-diagnosis-2797637">post-traumatic stress disorder </a>.

5. Sara-Jayne Poletti

Akanksha originally started her account as a platform to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thatsappywriter/?hl=en">share her poetry </a>, but she began to steer her content toward sharing her experience with anxiety, which she was diagnosed with at age 16.“Having people around you, who understand and love you, can be groundbreaking," she tells Verywell. "We cannot undermine the power of sheer love. That's what this account is, for me and the followers, a space to love, talk without apprehensions, and discuss our daily struggles.”

8. That Sappy Writer

Years ago, Heidi experienced an 18-month episode of suicidal depression, debilitating anxiety, and explosive PTSD, which inspired her to begin studying trauma and neuropsychology. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/heidiwilliams89/?hl=en">Her Instagram feed </a>is filled with photos of gorgeous yoga poses across the Salt Lake City landscape, and her captions share advice on dealing with mental health struggles. She says that working with her nervous system is what sparked her radical journey with healing, and she wants to teach her followers how they can utilize the same approach.

4. Heidi Williams

Sometimes, laughter is the best form of self-care. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/itsthecwolf/?hl=en">Christina </a>started her Instagram back in 2013 as a comedy account. When she shared the humor she found in her mental health struggles, her followers told her how much it helped them, and she knew she had to continue to share those experiences.

6. Christina Wolfgram

Bianca’s struggles with depression, anxiety and alcoholism led her on a path to help others with their mental health journeys. She focuses on the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/youarecomplete/?hl=en">spiritual side of mental health </a>in order to “teach people how to connect with and harness their intuition to become the fullest most badass version of themselves.”

2. Bianca L. Rodriguez

As a registered Health Psychologist in the United Kingdom, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/healthpsychologyclinic/?hl=en">Joanna Konstantopoulou </a>specializes in the intersection of physical and mental health. She posts mental health tips, nutrition advice, and encouraging quotes. Her biggest piece of mental health advice? Prioritize self-care.

3. Joanna Konstantopoulou

As Amy struggled with depression and anxiety, she found that following accounts where people shared their mental health stories made her feel less alone. A little over a year ago, she finally decided to start <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/">her own account </a>to share her mental health struggles. Her feed is filled with flowers, books, coffee, and encouraging quotes, paired with honest accounts of her journey with mental health issues.

7. Anxiety Sugar

Beth learned from personal experience how much therapy can help with anxiety, which inspired her to pursue a career in psychology. Now a Licensed Professional Counselor, she specializes in treating disorders like anxiety, OCD, and body-focused repetitive behaviors.

9. Beth Brawley

With a quick glance at Jera's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/">Instagram feed</a>, she might seem like a typical influencer with a glamorous life. But a closer look reveals the reality behind her beautiful photos: she opens up about learning to be okay with weight gain, mild freakouts about hairy toes, and struggling with social anxiety. For Jera, one of the beautiful things about Instagram is that it allows us to connect with others and feel less alone, which is especially important for invisible struggles like mental illness.

10. Jera Foster-Fell

When you’re struggling to speak to yourself kindly, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thelatestkate/?hl=en">The Latest Kate </a>has a cute animal to do it for you. The adorable characters in her original artwork cover themes like body positivity, self-love and self-care, and battling depression and anxiety. Kate also includes quick tips for dealing with mental health issues, like counting in 10-second increments to deal with anxiety.

1. The Latest Kate 

These Instagrammers are sharing their mental health journeys and removing the stigma around mental illness, one post at a time.

3. Joanna Konstantopoulou

Similar ideas to 3. Joanna Konstantopoulou

5. Self-Care

The Stigma Of Mental Health

Mary Whiton Calkins