Jessica Ward-King Archives

Jessica Ward-King

BSc, PhD, aka the StigmaCrusher, is a mental health advocate and keynote speaker with a rare blend of academic expertise and lived experience. Equipped with a doctorate in experimental psychology and firsthand knowledge of bipolar disorder, she’s both heavily educated and, as she likes to say, heavily medicated. Crazy smart, she’s been crushing mental health stigma since 2010.

A woman sitting on a couch, using a laptop and holding a cup of coffee.

Lived Experience

Bread and butter: money and mental health

In a crunch economy, even butter—and therapy—feel unaffordable. You’re not alone; control starts with small steps.

A man is sitting on a wooden chair in front of a lake.

Language Matters

You are not alone – let’s talk about suicidal ideation

Reducing stigma lets us speak, assess risk, and seek support.

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Lived Experience

Back on the road to recovery

A sudden pothole wrecked my car—and my night. That’s how mental illness feels: an abrupt derailment, unlike mental health’s routine “maintenance.” Self-care helps, but breakdowns need professional repair, time, and often money.

An older woman wrapped in a rainbow-colored flag smiles

Lived Experience

We hesitate to mention mental health and 2SLGBTQIA+ in the same breath

Related Articles Rethinking masculinity to end gender-based violence Read more Related Articles “Unmasking” is the theme for this year’s Mental Health Week – meaning to

Deux femmes de couleur assises sur un canapé et discutant

Lived Experience

Peer support changed my life

Terrified to be seen, I slipped into my first peer-support meeting—and found coffee, clutter, and acceptance.

Happy multiracial girlfriends in love embracing and cuddling - Lesbian couple, millennials women, girls in London living happy lifestyle - LGBTQ concept with mixed race beautiful couple

I didn’t imagine that mental health was affected by the colour of one’s skin. I was wrong.

As a white woman, I once overlooked how race shapes care. My wife and son of colour face withheld trust, pain bias, harsher stigma, microaggressions, and scarce, overburdened services. I’ve learned mental health isn’t separate from skin colour; privilege cushions some, while systemic barriers bruise others—often across generations.

Lived Experience

See me as a person, not a diagnosis

‘You’re so brave’ can feel diminishing to those living with mental illness. Courage lies not in existing but in choosing to share our stories against stigma.

5 movies to help you talk to your kids about mental health

Even children can struggle with mental health challenges. But how do you explain mental health to children in an age-appropriate way? It’s got to be engaging, it’s got to be fun, and it’s got to be relevant. My 10-year-old son gets a lot of mental health messaging from me, his “StigmaCrusher” mom, but I’m “just his mom” so I lean on the power of media.

I’m trading in my glasses for earphones

As a former (recovering?) book snob, I think there are far worse things in life than trading your glasses for earphones and enjoying the escape of storytelling once again. Mental illness already robs us of so much of the simple pleasures of life.