Student Real Talk: Siyana Ilieva talks about mental health issues

Hanze-students Aila and Naomi present Student Real Talk, a podcast about issues at Hanze that deserve more attention. What struggles do students face that are too often ignored? In this episode, they talk with Game Design student Siyana Ilieva, who struggled with mental health issues for most of her life.

She has a history of being bullied. ‘Especially the years in my high school were the most tough ones on my mental health’. But it wasn’t just classmates, she suffered verbal abuse from family members as well. ‘I think it’s important to speak out about stuff like that, because if your parents give you a roof over your head, it doesn’t give them the power to bully you.’

What does she advice others who struggle with mental health issues? ‘The first thing is to acknowledge that you suffer from something. After I took this step, I realised how poorly they had actually treated me and a lot of childhood trauma came back. It’s important to seek help if you need it.’