This TED Talk features producer and filmmaker, Mickey Weber Allen, recorded live at TED Residency 2017.

What are you doing on this stage in front of all these people?

Run! Run now. That's the voice of my anxiety talking. Even when there's

absolutely nothing wrong, I sometimes get this overwhelming sense of doom, like danger is

lurking just around the corner.

You see, a few years ago, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and depression,

two conditions that often go hand in hand.

Now, there was a time I wouldn't have told anybody,

especially not in front of a big audience.

As a black woman, I've had to develop extraordinary resilience to succeed.

And like most people in my community, I had the misconception that depression was a sign of weakness,

a character flaw.

But I wasn't weak.

I was a high achiever.

I'd earned a master's degree in media studies

and had a string of high-profile jobs in the film and television industries.

I'd even won two Emmy Awards for my hard work.

Sure, I was totally spent.

I lacked interest in things I used to enjoy,

barely ate, struggled with insomnia, and felt

isolated and depleted. But depressed? No, not me. Took weeks before I could admit it,

but the doctor was right. I was depressed. Still, I didn't tell anybody about my diagnosis.

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