Hidden
Smiles, Laughter, Hugs and reassurance
A restrained tongue and burdened heart
43.8 million adults experience mental illness
Knowingly And unknowingly.
In a given year
Too many numbers, but not enough treatment
Research says that mental illnesses are common.
So common, yet we fail to see the signs
Mental illness is overlooked until something bad happens
It takes a white man to kill children….
To label it as mental illness
But when a black man kills
He automatically is a stable murderer
No mental illness.
Just cold-blooded.
It takes a girl to kill herself because the monster is everywhere she goes
We missed it
Be quiet
Stop worrying
You’re thinking too much
Stop shaking
You’ll get over it
It’s all in your head
You’re crazy…
Until they’re lying in a casket….
He. was. A. happy. Kid.
We missed it.
We say it’ll be okay
But will it be okay if we overlook
episodes
The full plate constantly left untouched every night
The mood swings
The locked doors
The monster
He is the monster under her bed
The angry voice inside of his head
The demon that tells her cutting will make it better
He is the thing that controls her thoughts
But they say he is not real
Mental illnesses are swept under the carpet
Still, no one dares to ask “is there something more?”
We teach our kids it’s okay to not be okay
Don’t worry
It’s not serious
It will go away
But we don’t tell them that it’s not okay to live not being okay. . .
Half of mental health conditions begin at 14—
The year we learn about drug abuse, depression and sex education
We are always taught about depression
But what about
anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other forms of mental conditions
High schools & middle schools say it’s not a part of the curriculum to teach
But if mental illnesses can begin at 14,
Then how will they be aware and know who to reach?
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