By Sabra Hirsch
Even though the number of students with mental illness is on the rise — the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports “approximately 1 in 5 youths aged 13-18 (21.4 percent) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life” — many teens could give you a story of times they’ve encountered advice that minimizes or ignores their reality.
Phrases such as “walk it off” and even “just drink water” are a few examples of what has been used to deflect problems and have caused unnecessary obstacles for teens’ mental health care.
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