2024 Mental Health Essay Contest Awardee: Gold

Tenacity Through Tumultuousness

Max, California

For as long as I can remember, pockmarks and scars littered my body: irreparable symptoms from an invisible illness named major depressive disorder. Seemingly paradoxical, I owe my resilience to this battle with suicidality and self-harm; It is through these experiences that I connect, uplift, and challenge my community to shape a society that functions for us: a dream I strive to continue feeding.

At the age of 14, my entanglement with depression officially acquired a name. All it took was: hospitalization, IVs, six blood draws, and middle-of-the-night visits from the head doctor. My survival leads me to vouch for the validity of other teens’ mental healths – regardless of the severity or attached medical bills. On the cusp of adolescence, the only route for me to circumnavigate the stigmatization behind a diagnosis was to commit to the unthinkable–a route no one should feel forced to take. This goes to say that no matter the struggle, mental health is utterly vital to wellbeing: especially for teenagers. Yes, puberty is a difficult time, but that doesn’t negate the importance of equipping youth with the resources and courage to ask for help before it becomes too late. For me, I proudly tell my story so others can tell theirs. Baring my own healed scars, I hope others will soon, too, recognize the beauty in life’s hardships and complexities.

To uplift students like myself, I proudly serve my school district’s superintendent advisory board – a platform I utilize to advocate for my peers as well as spearhead Seity Health, an app Garden Grove Unified pilots to amplify student mental health support. With modern technology, the app layout is convenient to access via daily check-ins. However, I aim to encourage direct teacher mediation and training so our educators can better address the needs of their students firsthand. I’ve recognized my voice is crucial, empowering me to propose these ideas to the Superintendent. Through my own transparency and advocacy, I’ve encouraged students to take the leap of faith for support while ensuring adequate measures are implemented. Mental health was never a conversation for the shadows, and it’s my job as a survivor to bring its realities and resources to life.

Taking away from my past, I’ve utilized my experience to connect with similar folks to actualize change. Notably, my participation with nonprofit OCAPICA during their voter registration canvassing campaign specifically targeted the needs of community members. Over several weeks, I engaged in robust conversations with fellow neighbors door-to-door with questions such as, “Are you aware of the mental health services nearby?” and “Do you feel adequately supported?”. It was my own journey that allowed me to authentically relate to the marginalized neighborhoods in my area, opening dialogues that are essential to the functioning of support systems like OCAPICA. Compassion drives the community: through my own experience as a youth facing mental health struggle, I’ve propelled a deeper connection amongst my community through policy work and honesty.

All in all, my mental illness led me to a vital insight: in order to create future leaders, our current role models must remain cognizant of the challenges that threaten to uproot our youth.

The problem here is not mental illness; the problem here is stigmatization, lack of resources, and reduced emotional capacity that envelope already struggling adolescents. This generation’s ability to succeed is not hindered by our mental health: it is directly due to our perseverance in the face of this struggle that we become leaders.

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