Helpful Patterns

You are not alone

Did you know that 1 in 5 teens struggle with mental health issues.
** Merikangas KR, He J, Burstein M, et al. Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in US Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Study-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2010;49(10):980-989. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017.
Imagine your 25-person math class. This statistic suggests that 4 other students are also struggling with similar issues. In fact, more than 50% of people will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime.
** Kessler RC, Angermeyer M, Anthony JC, et al. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey Initiative. World Psychiatry. 2007;6(3):168-176.

Sometimes mental illness can feel lonely– as if you are the only one going through this type of thing. You might live in a community that does not often talk about feeling sad, worried, or mad. For this reason, as well as others, mental health can become stigmatized.

What is the stigma? Stigma is the FALSE belief that those with mental health issues are weak, strange, inferior, or personally responsible for their struggles. The stigma of mental health challenges may cause you to feel shame about your experience and/or prevent you from seeking help.

We want you to know that you are not alone.

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