From surviving to thriving: Stark County native shares mental health journey

When music star Kanye West recently underwent what appeared to some to be mental and emotional distress, Justin Hayes sent him a tweet.

"People were looking at it as just a news story rather than a mental-health crisis," he said. "I sent it to encourage him. It's unfortunate that, until somebody is in that situation themselves, they're not going to understand."

The Akron resident understands because he has dealt with his own mental health issues since he was a teenager. He says it took him 30 years to be properly diagnosed.

It's what prompts Hayes, an author, business professor, marketing expert and career coach, to visit local high schools and universities. He wants to increase awareness and reduce the stigma for young adults who may be going through the same experience.

According to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five Americans has some form of mental-health condition.

Hayes, a native of Canton and a graduate of Central Catholic High School, began suffering from social anxiety while attending Jackson High School.

"I was really just not fitting in, which I felt was normal," he said. "Everybody has their groups they hang out with. I didn't really have a group, and when I did find people who had common things, I was very shy, I wouldn't open up; just very short conversations. I thought it was just normal."

When Hayes finally did find a group of friends, it wasn't a good choice.

"It was popular to try different things to get high," he said. "We started taking cold pills. It got up to the point of taking a package of 16. The worst night, I took 22, overdosed and landed in Mercy Medical Center. I didn't think I was trying to harm myself, I chalked it up as a competition. That was probably the first time, as far as the seriousness, but it was chalked up as being a teenager."

Hayes said he underwent some counseling but "at that time, I really didn't value it."

He enrolled at Youngstown State University, where his anxiety worsened.

"Unfortunately, I did a fair amount of partying and alcohol abuse; that was what I really leaned on in group settings," Hayes said. "Anything I was doing, I'd have several drinks beforehand. It got to the point I was drinking before class."

Upon graduation, Hayes moved back home, where the drinking continued.

The next few years was a spiral of work, drinking binges, malnutrition and panic attacks.

He worked in Houston, Akron, and Columbus. While in Columbus, Hayes took on a second job as an adjunct professor at Walsh University,.

"I partied on the weekends, but I was still not eating," he said "I was going to the gym and studying for my MBA at Walsh."

He landed a job in Alliance, took on more adjunct classes, and made plans to marry his girlfriend.

But Hayes said the company was engaged in unethical hiring practices, which triggered more panic attacks.

"Throughout the process, I thought I could troubleshoot," he said. "I still wasn't eating, even using vitamins instead of food."

Hayes quit his job and got married, but it didn't resolve his anxiety. Though he even quit drinking, he started having panic attacks while teaching.

"I still didn't want think it was something psychological," he said. "In a span of two weeks, I ended up in the ER at Akron General. I couldn't drive. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't watch the Indians on TV. It was like dominoes. One attack was so severe, my dad had to call 911 from his car. I was down to 300 calories a day. I was eating only humus and carrots."

Hayes underwent an extensive psychological evaluation.

"The questions were uncomfortable but somebody was catching on," he said. "I needed help."

He opted for a four-day, inpatient treatment in a psychiatric ward where he received therapy and proper nutrition.

"I felt like God was intervening," he said. "I had this stigma in my mind. I didn't want to take medication. I had to put all that aside. I needed to stop (worrying about) what other people might think. I needed to do things for myself."

Hayes continued group and individual individual therapy, and started eating.

"We were discussing what do I want to do? He (therapist) was asking, `What fulfills you?'" he said. "He started getting me to think of what can I do to help others, and hope it resonates with somebody somewhere."

Today Hayes is president of the American Marketing Association of Northeast Ohio. In 2017, he wrote a book, "The House of You: 5 Workforce Preparation Tips for a Successful Career," which gave him leverage for speaking engagements.

He has spoken at GlenOak and East Canton high schools, and Kent State and Cleveland State universities.

Hayes also recently donated $1,000 to Walsh University's Counseling & Human Development program.

"I love speaking, I love helping others," he said. "Once I started integrating mental health with workforce prep, it was almost like a sigh of relief."

Hayes also wrote a second book, "From Surviving to Thriving" detailing his journey to mental health.

He conducts webinars, radio interviews, produced a Facebook Live program on mental health, and is a volunteer with NAMI of Summit County. In 2019, his team helped raise $105,000 for the national organization through an awareness walk.

"I wasn't kept alive just to mosey on," he said. "I believe was kept alive to help others."

Leslie Powlette Stoyer, co-executive director of NAMI Summit County, said Hayes has been a valuable asset.

"He's a great guy," she said. "He's one of our team leaders for our NAMI walks. Justin's been a huge supporter of us."

Noting the statistics, Stoyer said it's important for people to share their experiences in mental health, adding that NAMI of Summit County conducts an anti-stigma campaign.

NAMI is conducting a national virtual walk on Oct. 10.

"It's important because there are so many people out there who are going through similar circumstances, but they're living in the shadows," Stoyer said. "Look at how many people it impacts. It could be your mother, your neighbor, your children, but it does not define them."

Hayes says he's now able to enjoy life's simple pleasures.

"Being with family, grocery shopping and watching my daughter," he said. "I'm almost thankful for what I've been through. The little things are what matter."

Reach Charita at 330-850-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

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