9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When I was a kid, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 my mom and I made this deal. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was allowed to take three[br]mental health rest days every semester 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as long as I continued[br]to do well in school. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This was because I started[br]my mental health journey 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when I was only six years old. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was always what my grade-school teachers[br]would call "a worrier," 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but later on we found out that I have[br]trauma-induced anxiety 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and clinical depression. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This made growing up pretty hard. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was worried about a lot of things[br]that other kids weren't 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and school got really[br]overwhelming sometimes. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This resulted in a lot of breakdowns, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 panic attacks -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 sometimes I was super productive 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and other days I couldn't[br]get anything done. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This was all happening during a time 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when mental health[br]wasn't being talked about 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as much as it is now. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Especially youth mental health. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Some semesters I used[br]all of those rest days to the fullest. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Others, I didn't need any at all. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But the fact that they[br]were always an option 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is what kept me a happy, healthy[br]and successful student. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Now I'm using those skills[br]that I learned as a kid 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to help other students[br]with mental health challenges. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm here today to offer you some insight[br]into the world of teenage mental health: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 what's going on, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how did we get here 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and what can we do? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But first you need to understand 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that while not everyone has[br]a diagnoses mental illness like I do, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 absolutely everyone -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 all of you have mental health. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 All of us have a brain[br]that needs to be cared for 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in similar ways that we care [br]for our physical well-being. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Our head and our body are connected[br]by much more than just our neck afterall. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mental illness even manifests itself[br]in some physical ways 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 such as nausea, headaches,[br]fatigue and shortness of breath. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So since mental health effects all of us, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 should we be coming up with solutions[br]that are accessible to all of us? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That brings me to my second[br]part of my story. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When I was in high school 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I had gotten pretty good[br]at managing my own mental health. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was a successful student 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I was president of the organized[br]association of student councils. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But it was around this time[br]that I began to realize 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 mental health is much a bigger problem[br]than just for me personally. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Unfortunately, my hometown was touched[br]by multiple suicides 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 during my first year in high school. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I saw tose tragedies shake[br]our entire community, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and as the president[br]of a state-wide group, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I began hearing more and more stories 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 from students where this had also[br]happened in their town. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So in 2018 at our annual summer camp, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we held a forum with about[br]100 high school students 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to discuss teenage mental health.