Jackie Costello is a girl on a mission to break the stigma attached to mental illness.

It’s a cause that hits close to home for the 15-year-old.

Growing up with an uncle with paranoid schizophrenia, the Somersfield Academy student saw the challenges her uncle faced and how it affected the entire family.

“When I was little I used to be almost afraid of people with mental illnesses because of the stereotypes that they are dangerous or ill,” she said. “Sometimes I’d feel uncomfortable around him.

“But I eventually grew out of that after seeing the way my parents and other relatives acted towards him. They knew he wasn’t dangerous and wouldn’t harm anyone, so that kind of set an example of how I should look at people who are mentally ill. Our family lives in New York and we’re all extremely close.”

Jackie will be hosting a mental health awareness campaign in her school gym this Sunday from 3pm to 5pm. Its aim? To educate people on what mental illness is and remove some of the stigma attached to such disorders. There will also be a host of fundraising activities and games on offer, with all proceeds going to the Bermuda Mental Health Foundation.

The teenager started planning the event back in May as part of a final year project for school.

“Everyone chooses a topic. One friend installed solar panels on the roof of our school and for mine I decided to create a campaign around this,” she said.

“My uncle has paranoid schizophrenia and since I was little I’ve seen him deal with the challenges that it presented him and how he’s had to adjust his life. I’ve also seen how it has affected our family. He is my dad’s brother, so they’ve had to adjust sometimes how they speak or act so they don’t leave him out or do something rude or insulting to him.”

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder often characterised by abnormal social behaviour and failure to recognise what’s real. In her uncle’s case, one of the main symptoms is anxiety.

Jackie recalls how he would call their house every night just to make sure everyone was safe and all right.

“He’s kind of quiet, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone,” she said. “I think my dad set a really good example because my uncle calls almost every night to talk to him.

“He talks to him probably for an hour each time and he’s always shown me that it doesn’t matter if someone has a disability you shouldn’t treat them any differently.

“My dad treats him the same as he does his other two brothers.”

“Instead of feeling bad for people who are different or challenged in some way we try to understand them and put ourselves in their shoes,” she added.

So far the teenager has received lots of positive feedback about the campaign.

One of the biggest things she’s taken from it is the fact she’s not alone.

“Through my research I’ve discovered there are a lot more people who have a mental illness or have a family member who have it than I realised,” she said.

“One thing that has been really cool, especially in my school community, is having teachers, parents and other people come up to me and say how they think this is such an important topic.

“Some of them have family members or friends that have mental illness so it’s pretty cool how everyone is touched by it even if it’s not directly related to them.

“One teacher told me her dad actually suffered from depression when she was younger. I wouldn’t say that surprised me, but I never expected she would have been able to relate to what I’ve been through.”

Her uncle has been especially touched by her efforts.

“I talked to him on the phone a little bit and he said he thinks it’s a great thing and can help to break down some of the stigma,” Jackie explained.

“A few times people would say things and he thought it was a little offensive, so this will hopefully make more people aware — not only people who have a mental illness, but for the overall community as well.

“I want people to understand that sometimes daily language we use can be derogatory to people with mental illness and there is no reason to be afraid or scared of these people because they are just like us and it’s not something they’re doing to themselves. It’s something they can’t help.”