For 25 years Julie Tansey struggled with an anxiety disorder so severe should could barely leave her bedroom.

Now she is one of the faces of Bell's Let's Talk campaign concerning mental health awareness.

"I was comfortable only at home and as soon as I went out of the house or as soon as I went out of my bedroom I started to feel like I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to die. I had stomach aches and I couldn't function," said Tansey.

"I couldn't go to school anymore and one day my mom called 9-1-1 and then I was hospitalized."

She was diagnosed with a panic disorder and spent about 18 months in hospital.

Over the next two decades she was unable to maintain a steady job, and found new work every few months.

Tansey constantly lied about her condition, and grew increasingly isolated.

"I could basically not get up in the morning and I had to [say] 'I'm sick' or 'my mom's in the hospital.' I had to find ways to have a reason, a good reason, because being mentally ill or having panic attacks wasn't a good reason," said Tansey.

Clinical psychologist Camillo Zacchia said there is a lot of stigma concerning mental health.

"We tend to not want to talk about our weaknesses or our difficulties. It's a little embarrassing and as a result we don't really understand another person's point of view," said Zacchia.

Tansey's improvement is the result of slow progress.

She began volunteering, and signed up to be a spokesperson for mental health, speaking to Bell employees.

Louise Gascon admires Tansey's resolve.

"I can see some persons around me that might have part of that so I think it's maybe to be more cautious and try to understand," said Gascon.

That support has helped Tansey break a cycle that began when she was 14 years old.

"I realize that the more I'm myself and the more I explain and the more I'm confident about who I am, the more people will accept me," said Tansey.

Many people now come to Tansey for advice.

"The people who did help me were the ones who saw something else in me, something good."

Tansey said it's a small shift in focus that has led to great support.