Sitting in my room, the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and being out of control. Screaming into my pillow hoping that it would help me release the demons within. “I have no reason to be depressed,” I thought. “There are people worse off than me.” That’s what my parent had always taught me. Right? As I lay back and sink into my bed, drinking from a cup just to feel something other than emptiness and despair, and at this moment, all I longed for was someone to listen and understand me and these feelings I couldn’t even begin to describe. I was 14. I am 19 now. Thankful that I did not talk a walk down an irreversible path. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with the same experience. Mental health is a topic widely discussed, but we barely scratch the surface. Almost 40% of people experience their first depressive episode before the age of 20 and that is only what is documented. Many people do not get the help that they deserve. They do not get that understanding that they desperately long for and after feeling lost for so long, they feel their only option is to escape the world forever. It doesn’t have to be this way. Trying to notice the signs in your loved ones and taking the time to truly listen is crucial. I am currently a second-year psychology student and I hope to get into a career in therapy and being that listening ear. Helping people get through the darkest points of their lives and seeing them thrive in the brightest is my dream. I was blessed with the resources to endure therapy and I was able to pull myself out of that never-ending wave of darkness. I want mental health services to be accessible to anyone that needs them whether it is constant care and treatment or a single phone call, just for people to vent and release those dark thoughts. I still struggle at times with those feelings of hopelessness and wanting more. I do my best to be positive and find positive coping mechanisms like my podcast I do with my friend, journaling or any activity that makes me feel productive. However, the importance of mental health does not stop at depression. There are many ways that mental health can be affected and the severity of everyone’s unique personal experiences. There is also no one solution for everyone. We need more doctors, teachers, and guidance counselor’s that take the mental health of people seriously and take that extra step to possibly change someone’s life forever.