Real Talk: Mental Health in YA
8:00:00 AM
About a month ago I did a blog post that I titled Real Talk, and in it I spoke about college and my application process and gave my input and advice on the topic of deciding a major, or even whether or not to go to college. My dear friend Alex over at Fiery Reads is the queen of discussion posts, and after some chit chat one night last week she suggested I start doing them too. If you haven't read any of Alex's discussions, you really should check them out because they are just so spot-on. And I promise this isn't some plug to check out her blog just because she's my friend, I genuinely think she writes and speaks about some of the most important discussion topics out there. My personal favorite is this one.
But that's enough of a long-winded intro, I know why you're all here. I decided to do my first (second??) discussion post on a topic that matters very much to me: mental health. Specifically, mental health and its involvement in the YA scene.
Mental
health has been a prominent part of my life, for nearly my entire life. I try
to be as vocal about it as possible without sounding too preachy, because I
firsthand know how it can affect people and know that it is something that more
people struggle with than a lot of people realize. Wow, I said the word
“people” a lot in that last sentence. Mental health in America has had quite a
rocky history. In the grand scope of things, medical history never really
started to document and treat cases of mental illness in patients until the
mid-1800’s. And even then, the methods doctors used to treat mental illness
were highly unorthodox and dangerous; let alone related in no way, shape, or
form to the root of the illness. I took a course on general psychology last
semester and it opened my eyes to the history of mental healthcare. Up until
the late 60’s and early 70s, mental health was treated as a disease of the
mind, something that tainted the patient and was often spurred by highly
religious or conservative beliefs. It took doctors a very long time to realize
that mental health was not an anomaly of the mind being imperfect or diseased
like an infected wound; rather, mental health all boils down to nothing more
than chemicals and hormones.
Now that
I’ve bored you with a mini history lesson, I want to advocate as to why mental
health needs to have a more prominent standing in the YA market. See, I have
this thing called general anxiety disorder. It’s an imbalance of the chemical
(a neurotransmitter, specifically) in my brain called serotonin, a chemical
responsible for transmitting signals between nerves in my brain; specifically
signals that dictate mood and stress. It’s because my levels of this chemical
aren’t average that I have this disorder and as a result, I overthink, I
overreact, I stress out over little things, I catastrophize mistakes I make,
and paired with my panic disorder it can also lead to a whole lot of panic
attacks and the occasional anxiety attack. Before I go any further in this
discussion, here’s something you need to understand: I don’t advocate about my
mental disorders because I am out to get pity or sympathy. I never have, and I
never will. The reason I am so open about my disorders is because I want to
bring awareness to mental disorders in general and get people to realize that
they all know at least one person, if not more, who has one.
And it is
exactly that reason why the YA scene needs more characters and stories involving
mental disorders. So many people in this world take the words “mental illness”
to mean something negative, to mean you’re crazy. Having a mental disorder does
not mean you are crazy. Having a mental disorder does not mean you are crazy. Having a mental disorder does not mean you
are crazy. And it’s just become the common assumption made about people who
are depressed, people with OCD, people with schizophrenia. On the other hand, just because you're a perfectionist doesn't mean you're OCD. Just because you're sad doesn't mean you've got depression. Just because you're freaking out over a test in class doesn't mean you're about to have a panic attack. Mental disorders are not adjectives for you to toss around; normalization does not mean that you're allowed to use them to describe yourself in a situation that trivializes what those who actually have disorders go through on a day to day basis. Like I mentioned
before, it all comes down to chemicals in your brain. Some people have more,
some people have less, some people have a balanced amount. Some people have
brown eyes and blonde hair. Some people have dark skin. Some people are tall.
It’s all on the same level, it’s biology and how we as humans were made. And at
the end of the day, the main thing I want people reading this discussion to
take away from my post is that if you have a mental illness and are struggling
with it, you’re perfectly normal and it’s
going to be okay. I can’t think of a better way to communicate that to kids
my age than through books; especially within the bookish community, I know SO
many people who advocate for more diversity in books.
People don’t realize that having a
mental disorder is just like breaking your arm or getting the flu. Some are
more chronic diseases than others, some are seasonal, and some happen once and
then never or rarely again. But because it is regarded as something mental, it’s
human nature to want to overcome it on our own, believing it’s all a case of mind
over matter. Mental health days are just as valid as sick days. As a society,
we have been conditioned to believe that the crazy people are the ones to be
avoided. That they are abnormal, not right in the head, that they’re all
twisted in some way or another and likely fantasize about death a lot or other
morbid or perverted things. It is this very stigma that has been built around
mental disorders that lead people to avoid talking about them, to avoid asking
for help, and to avoid those who are known to have them. And it is this very
reason that mental disorders must be normalized.
One of
the best possible ways to normalize a stigma is through representation. The
presence alone of a character or figure who outright has a mental disorder is
enough to change someone’s perspective. If it can change one reader’s
perspective, then maybe it can change a hundred. And then maybe those hundred
people will all tell someone and suddenly there’s ten thousand people who
are aware now. And the cycle of awareness just keeps spreading until, suddenly,
that thing we once thought was super bad and must be avoided at all costs is
now completely acceptable and regarded as nothing to be ashamed of. Of course
there will always be those who aren’t so easily swayed, but it all boils down
to that one voice to advocate for someone or something that changed the minds
of a hundred people. It’s like the argument for more representation and
diversity in YA; representation is SO vital. If you can’t see yourself within a
character, if you can’t relate to a character, if you can’t have a character to
look up to, whom you identify with, then you will only learn to apply this
ignorance of character to your life. If there is no presence you can relate to
in popular media, where do you fit it into the world? You would be surprised by
the effects the media can have on a person, regardless of how immune one may
think they are to it. This all will lead into my next discussion about
diversity in YA, but that’s a Real Talk for another day.
Mental
illness, disorders, and mental health are all some of the most common
medical anomalies out there. I guarantee you that you know at least one person
in your life who may have one; and that is perfectly normal. Seeing yourself in a book or any other media
outlet is so vital to who you are as a person, because so many of us out there
relate so deeply to these stories and connect our lives to them, that if we
cannot find ourselves within our favorite books then we are truly lost. Readers deserve more representation. Writers
need to band together to write more YA involving mental health. They don’t need
to make it a focus of the story, just include a character or two who may have
them; and that alone is enough. Bonus points if it’s the MC. In the end, we are
one step closer to normalizing mental illness by getting someone to understand
what it is, how it affects people, and how it's perfectly okay.
Because
if many of us so often find ourselves as people within our favorite books, between
paper characters and lettered landscapes, why can’t we take one more step
toward making that a possibility for everyone?
xo,
gee
Recommendations for Books with Mental Health in YA
- the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin - These books perfectly described what it feels like to not know what's going on inside your own head, not know how or who to ask for help, and how the therapy and counseling process involved in treatment of mental health disorders can sometimes just be arduous and frustrating. I always tell people that the character I've ever related the most to is Mara, and that's because of what she goes through with her mental health. That's why these books will always mean so much to me.
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - While the main character Charlie was never outright said to have a mental disorder, it is very clear by the way he narrates and the events he describes that he has a disorder. He experienced a big trauma before the start of the book and as he enters high school lost and friendless, a group of seniors take him under their wing and Charlie explores what it really is to be a teenager while ruminating on the deeper levels of it all. Truly a beautiful book and one of my all-time favorites.
- Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - This book deals with extremely heavy subjects as the main character details all thirteen reasons why she decided to commit suicide on tape recordings before mailing the tapes off to each person who was a reason why. At the same time, it deals with depression and suicide in a poignant and palpable way. It truly makes the reader understand on a deeper level what someone could be going through at any time while the rest of the world is completely oblivious.
- More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera - This book is on my 2016 TBR list. It tells the story of a boy whose emotional struggles run deep as his life is tossed upside down in a matter of time with the suicide of his father, his newly estranged mother, and his newfound feelings for a new boy in town. When given the opportunity to erase his memories, Aaron is faced with a difficult choice over whether to proceed, even if it means losing sight of who he truly is in the process. I have no doubt this book will chalk up to the high expectations it has been given.
- All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - Finch fantasizes constantly about death and ways to kill himself, and Violet can't stop anxiously counting down the days until she can get away from the grief of her sister's death. I've heard nothing but good things abot how brilliant and moving this book is, and from what I can tell it deals with depression and grief and anxiety in very real and relatable ways that will change the reader's perspective on the process of grief and depression.
8 comments
I love this post. I keep channeling my loneliness and depression through personal things I post on my blog. But I've always wanted to talk about how mental health should be represented in books and properly too. Thank you for this wonderful insight and I will definitely spread word about it. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that you're able to connect to my post! I really hope it helps. Thank you! ❤️
DeleteGreat post, Giselle! I have anxiety disorder as well, and sometimes I over worry myself. It can feel crippling. I definitely agree that mental illness needs more awareness.
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Thank you so much, Jess! I'm glad you found this post to be relatable and communicating a clear message - that's my goal, just spreading awareness and understanding! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThis is an awesome discussion! I'm also a big advocate of mental illness representation and inclusion in YA, or in all books. It's so extremely important, and I can relate because I've had experience with mental illness myself (and on the successful road of recovery now).
ReplyDeleteIt's so important that we normalise and really get out the point that people who have mental illnesses are just as normal as the rest of us and it's important to show those who DONT have mental illnesses, how it is for people who DO have one.
I loved this discussion post very much!
Hi Josie! I'm so glad you're recovering and that you found my discussion insightful. All I hope to do is bring awareness to the subject and have others realize its importance, so thank you!!
DeleteLove this post! I was also diagnosed with general anxiety disorder as a child, and I still struggle with it. Have you seen the series Teen Librarian Toolbox is doing on Mental Health in YA? It's fascinating, and definitely worth reading.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen in, but I will certainly look into it now!
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