It's estimated that one in four people in the world will be affected by a form of mental illness at some point in their lives.

Although many Western countries are working to detach the stigma associated with mental illnesses, particularly depression, there's still a long way to go.

Ellie Wilkie from Scotland was heartbroken to see her dad go through a bad bout of depression after the passing of his eldest brother, Jordan, who died from suicide in 2014.

"In January my dad attempted suicide in the family home. The effect was devastating, but luckily for us he survived," Ellie wrote. "The emotions towards my dad were mixed. I resented him for wanting to leave me and my three sisters behind, but at the same time I was devastated thinking about how low he must be.

She thought she lost her dad that day, but Brian Wilkie decided to turn his life around.

Her tribute to her father's battle with mental illness is heartwarming, and the changes in her father's life is inspiring thousands across the world.  

With the help from a specialist, Brian gave up alcohol, purchased a gym membership, and has been offered a job as a recovery support worker.

"My dad is now my hero. I've never met someone so focused to change his life and love it."

She was so proud that she posted his story on Twitter, which went viral. The post currently has more than 140,000 likes and 25,000 retweets.

"I wanted to tell everyone who may also be suffering it's OK not to be OK, particularly because men are stereotypically supposed to be the strong ones," Ellie wrote.

Twitter users responded with emotionally charged comments:

Share this heartwarming story and spread the message that "it's okay not to be okay."

[Source: BBC]