2024 Mental Health Essay Contest Awardee: Silver
Behind a Perfect Life
Kathleen, Maryland
Looking at me, you may see an energetic, passionate girl, always smiling and laughing. I have an amazing family, wonderful friends, and a great life, but that doesn’t mean my life is perfect.
Smile. If you pretend to be fine, no one will notice. I would tell myself this when the nervous butterflies almost pushed me to tears, when I would constantly double-check to make sure I didn’t leave my flat iron on, or when I forced my mom to stay up so I wasn’t the last one awake in our house. Even though I pretended everything was okay, I could never stop my mind from racing. I had a permanent pit in my stomach and didn’t feel happy, confident, or hopeful.
I have struggled with anxiety since I was seven years old, but I didn’t know that the pit in my stomach wasn’t normal. I didn’t know what anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder were, and I didn’t have anywhere to learn about mental health challenges.
Eventually, I was able to open up to my parents and make the decision to go to therapy, where I was diagnosed with several mental health issues. Through the help of my parents and therapist, I learned how to cope with my mental health challenges, but I was scared to tell all my friends what I was going through. I didn’t understand that many people have mental health issues, and it isn’t something to be ashamed about. Until my sophomore year of high school, I never told anyone about my experiences with mental health because I was ashamed. I thought that people who went to therapy were crazy, and I didn’t want people to think of me that way.
By opening up about my mental health journey, I have learned about other friends who struggle just like me, and I have been able to help people understand mental health. But, there is still a stigma surrounding mental health.
While talking about mental health has helped some of my friends, it isn’t going to stop the negative connotations surrounding mental health. There needs to be something in schools that everyone is a part of so people can learn.
I propose that each school have a mental health center within the guidance counselor's office. The space will be designed for people to go if they need someone to talk to. The mental health center will have professionals who are willing and able to talk to students about their well-being. Having a place specifically designed for people to go if they are having mental health issues gives students a safe space where no one will judge them.
The mental health counselors will be available to help students within the safe space, have regular meetings with students, and hold assemblies at the beginning of each quarter. Students will be required to talk to a counselor at least three times a semester. This ensures that if anyone is struggling and doesn’t know it, they can get help. During the assemblies, they can share the symptoms of different mental health disorders, what they can do to help themselves or a friend, and share a list of resources outside the school for people struggling with their mental health. This would have helped me when I was younger because I didn’t know what I was feeling. If people were talking about mental health and I had a space to share my thoughts and feelings, I may have been diagnosed earlier and learned methods to cope with my mental health struggles.
Hopefully, talking about mental health and giving students a safe space will teach students there is nothing to be ashamed of. By regularly discussing mental health, we will teach students about themselves and destigmatize mental health disorders.
NIH recognizes these talented essay winners for their thoughtfulness and creativity in addressing youth mental health. These essays are written in the students' own words, are unedited, and do not necessarily represent the views of NIH, HHS, or the federal government.
Page published May 31, 2024
