Let me start by saying that I am the mother to a preteen girl with Asperger's syndrome and aunt to a teen with PDD-NOS, Depression, and Anxiety. I want to say this so people won't assume that I'm an adult who wouldn't understand.908Please respect copyright.PENANA4uGICiHGhD
Depression seems to be a more common thing among teenagers these days, and I blame a lot of it on the way society is, especially when it preaches individualism, then shuns one for being different from it's ideal ways. Most times, these teens are misunderstood by their peers, family, and by society as a whole on some days. I've seen teens told to "suck it up" because they have nothing to be depressed about.908Please respect copyright.PENANA8OTTkeRE80
Mental illnesses and mental disorders can make fitting in hard, and can make one an outcast. In some cases, it gets to the point where they feel desperate and out of control. They just want someone to listen, to care, to try to understand. Sometimes it gets to the point of suicide, a suicide that could have been prevented had anyone taken the times to see the warning signs.908Please respect copyright.PENANArC9ab2GPAi
I'm not a psychologist, nor do I have any training outside that of raising teens and children who have conditions that make them slightly different because of the way that their minds are wired. 908Please respect copyright.PENANAgvV7tpV9CT
The thing you need to know is those teens, those people, they are just like you, with the exception that their minds work in a different way than yours. You may not understand, but you can't ridicule them for being different, because what makes them different is what makes them beautiful.908Please respect copyright.PENANA6Tn7SEFHOH
To those suffering from mental illness or mental disorders, you aren't alone. There are people who care, who will reach out a hand. Not everyone will understand you, but have faith, for there are those who will. For those of you who believe in God, my mother had a favorite saying, "God gives his toughest battles to his strongest warriors." 908Please respect copyright.PENANAlPCM53yydI
If your going through a rough time, know that you will get through it, you aren't alone, and that you are beautiful the way you are. Don't let society pull you down, and don't be part of the group of people who pull someone down. Stay strong. And, If anyone ever needs to talk, my inbox is open. I can't solve your problems, but I can lend a ear, or my eyes in this case, and if I can help in some way I will. Most times, those with disabilities just want a friend. I may have left my teen years a long time ago, but I know the struggles of being a teenager, and have seen how much harder it can be when each day seems like a battle. 908Please respect copyright.PENANA4O6sL5joBg
Well, gonna cut this short, because writer block seemed to hit all of a suddenly908Please respect copyright.PENANAEUtuyyIL8g