More than a Diagnosis

In 2024, Raffela Mancuso remotely attended eMHIC, the Mental Health Global Congress Conference and dreamed of one day presenting herself. When she shared her dream with friends, they reassured her that she had a lot to add and that she should go for it. When she pointed out that most of the speakers at conferences had PhDs in the field, or at least a Masters. “They told me that was why I had to try. The conferences were missing the voice of those who were actually living with mental health issues, not just learning about them”. 

At the age of 24, Raffela Mancuso discovered she had ADHD and at 27, she received an OCD diagnosis. At first, she struggled with how to integrate her diagnosis and how she perceived her own identity, but over the years she realized that while a diagnosis is a helpful tool, it didn’t define her. Since then, Raffela has grown into a confident, passionate activist for mental health. 

However, finding opportunities within the advocacy world was a struggle. “I was always trying to find a way to get my foot in the door,” Raffela said. “But I don’t have the credentials or connections people were looking for.” She viewed herself as someone who had no training and was only qualified because she had experience of living with mental health issues. 

And the eMental Health International Collaborative? She received free tickets to the 2025 conference because she was one of the top attendees who promoted it on social media. This was the confirmation she needed to submit a proposal to be a speaker and was thrilled when she was accepted. The name of her presentation at the Congress is called ‘More than a Checkbox: How to meaningfully include youth and people with lived experience (without tokenizing them). 

The free registration she won was great, but how was she going to afford a flight and pay for a hotel? She wasn’t affiliated with an organization who could support her. That is where airline points and family members stepped in.  

From feeling unsure to talking in front of a group of people about her experiences, Raffela has become an example of how everyone has something valuable to share about their perspective and experiences and how sharing that perspective will help others become more understanding and empathetic.

Raffela recently joined CMHA Edmonton as the marketing lead at CMHA Edmonton. Both as a content creator and as someone with lived experience with neurodivergence, Raffela brings a wealth of knowledge that guides her work. Her journey with neurodivergence continues to teach her about her superpowers and the areas where she needs help and encouragement. And the best part? She’s learning she is who she is, and that it’s beautiful, and the more she shares it with others, the more she makes space for herself and others with similar experiences.

Raffela was part of the original cohort of the Council for Community Mental Health, which has flipped the traditional power structure by centering people with lived experience to lead the conversation about the deployment of mental health resources.