“What’s wrong with you?” That’s what my dad asked me the day I started having an uncontrollable crying rush in front of him. Being thirteen, I had no answer to his question—but back then I desperately wanted one. For so long, I wanted to know what was wrong with me, and what the cure I needed was to fix it. I wanted someone to help me. Considering mental health has become increasingly more important the past few decades, with the implementation of suicide hotlines, improved treatment options, as well as more ethically run mental health facilities. However, when it comes to that of adolescents, their issues tend to be brushed off and avoided. It’s true that the mind and body of a teenager are always changing, but too often are their concerning symptoms seen as “dramatic” behavior, or that they’re having those typical “teenage mood swings.” It’s insulting and disheartening to go to people for help and to be dismissed because “you’re too young” to have mental illness. I stand firmly in the belief that teenagers deserve to be heard, to be acknowledged and seen. It’s important to take adolescent concerns seriously so that they know they have people they can go to and find help in. Regardless of whether or not their concern is “legitimate” or not, just listening to them makes a world of difference. Mental health in teenagers seems to only be taken seriously when it’s far too late to make a change, when someone far too young has already taken their life. How many lives would have been saved if someone had stepped in? Who would still be here today had someone really been there? Fighting my own mental battles throughout the years has been challenging, but my biggest obstacle in recovering was doing it on my own, having no support from my parents. By going into the healthcare field and specializing in mental health, I can be there for those who are in the position I was in years ago. It’s for those teenagers stuck in their own heads, for the teenagers staying up late only to cry themselves to sleep because they’ve never felt more alone. I wish to give them what no one else could for me; help, even if it’s just a small amount. Awareness and informing those about teenage mental health would be the start of my initiative. Parental figures and guardians should know what to look for in their children and should know to be open-minded to their kid’s problems. Teenagers should know coping mechanisms and practices that aid them when they need it. Not only that, but therapy should also be more accessible to those whose parents can’t or won’t provide it. Having school therapists should be more normalized in schools for all students, being a separate profession from school counselors. Group therapy sessions could also help teenagers feel seen and find people they can relate to. My dad didn’t know how to help me that day, so he never did. Silence is known to be a killer, but what if no one answers when they do speak up? It’s far deadlier.

“What’s wrong with you?” That’s what my dad asked me the day I started having an uncontrollable crying rush in front of him. Being thirteen, I had no answer to his question—but back then I desperately wanted one. For so long, I wanted to know what was wrong with me, and what the cure I needed was to fix it. I wanted someone to help me. Considering mental health has become increasingly more important the past few decades, with the implementation of suicide hotlines, improved treatment options, as well as more ethically run mental health facilities. However, when it comes to that of adolescents, their issues tend to be brushed off and avoided. It’s true that the mind and body of a teenager are always changing, but too often are their concerning symptoms seen as “dramatic” behavior, or that they’re having those typical “teenage mood swings.” It’s insulting and disheartening to go to people for help and to be dismissed because “you’re too young” to have mental illness. I stand firmly in the belief that teenagers deserve to be heard, to be acknowledged and seen. It’s important to take adolescent concerns seriously so that they know they have people they can go to and find help in. Regardless of whether or not their concern is “legitimate” or not, just listening to them makes a world of difference. Mental health in teenagers seems to only be taken seriously when it’s far too late to make a change, when someone far too young has already taken their life. How many lives would have been saved if someone had stepped in? Who would still be here today had someone really been there? Fighting my own mental battles throughout the years has been challenging, but my biggest obstacle in recovering was doing it on my own, having no support from my parents. The reason I’m going to be a psychologist is not for myself, but it’s for those who are in the position I was in years ago. It’s for those teenagers stuck in their own heads, for the teenagers staying up late only to cry themselves to sleep because they’ve never felt more alone. I wish to give them what no one else could for me; help, even if it’s just a small amount. Awareness and informing those about teenage mental health would be the start of my initiative. Parental figures and guardians should know what to look for in their children and should know to be open-minded to their kid’s problems. Teenagers should know coping mechanisms and practices that aid them when they need it. Not only that, but therapy should also be more accessible to those whose parents can’t or won’t provide it. Having school therapists should be more normalized in schools for all students, being a separate profession from school counselors. Group therapy sessions could also help teenagers feel seen and find people they can relate to. My dad didn’t know how to help me that day, so he never did. Silence is known to be a killer, but what if no one answers when they do speak up? It’s far deadlier.