Dear Editor,

In 2015, a study showed that and one in five adolescents in the U.S have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. 50% of mental health issues are determined by age 14 and 75% by age 24. The rates of young people with severe depression have increased from 5% to 8% from 2015-2018. Many people suffer from these mental illnesses and it's rarely talked about. (Polaris Teen Center) 

Even though that number may have been really small it’s still a number and it should be taken more seriously especially if your child may have or even had any mental illness and dealt with it without you even knowing. You may be thinking “My child will tell me everything, right?” or “ Why would my child try to hide the fact that he/she is going through something?”. When parents think like that it tends to take a toll. Children and teens wonder why their parents haven't asked about their sudden change in mood, and even the slightest little mishap can completely tarnish their will to do anything. We tend to wonder why or how it ended this way and some even try to cope with these feelings with bad habits that are harmful to the body such as self-harm, substance use, etc.

Back in the early 20th century and even now, the negativity against these people has not changed. Especially on social media people tend to take advantage of what others say and use it either for themselves or as a grudge. Others take it as a way to cope, they use social media accounts to make others feel safe and when they need it to make others feel like they are needed and wanted in society. Those are the types of people that we need in America and it's very sad that there are only a few of those types of people out there.

Finally, children and adolescents should have a voice and should be heard. Even as we try to make each other better you have to learn to be better to other people especially those who need it. 

Sincerely,  

Destinee 

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2016. Australia’s health 2016. Australia’s health series no. 15. Cat. no. AUS 199. Canberra: AIHW.