Why this Teen Girl Should Inspire You to Bust the Stigma of Mental Illness



Alexis is a quiet 16-year-old girl. She keeps to herself and spends a lot of time drawing. She doesn't care for conflict, avoiding it at almost all costs. She always strives to be polite, respectful and to not hurt anyone's feelings. She can get along with most people with no problem.



She's a peaceable girl.





She's a Quiet Girl, but Speaks up When Necessary





I turned to her and said, "Uh, one in four. I just



We had a little discussion about all sorts of things. She's had several debates with friends about mental illnesses or even "disorders" that aren't mental illnesses, such as dyslexia and Asperger's. On Monday, Alexis was telling me that someone she knows "doesn't believe in mental illness or at least she doesn't believe it's common."I turned to her and said, "Uh, one in four. I just wrote a post about this today because it's Mental Illness Awareness Week. 1 out of 4 adults and 1 out of 5 children. 1 out of 17 of those has a serious mental illness like bipolar, schizophrenia or major depression. Not common? Quite the opposite."We had a little discussion about all sorts of things. She's had several debates with friends about mental illnesses or even "disorders" that aren't mental illnesses, such as dyslexia and Asperger's.



She's not afraid to tell it like it is. She doesn't hide from the conflict when it comes to helping others understand, or when she sees the need to bust the myths associated with a disorder.



She's bold when she has to be.





How My Teenage Daughter Showed Support of MIAW with Her Art

Later in the evening, she was drawing. She's always drawing. She is one of the most artistic people I've ever known. Most of her artwork is by hand and some is digital. The one she was working on was digital. I took this shot, which I posted on Instagram .



