Core Principle #5

Mental illness even happens to people whose lives seem good.

• • • Often kids say things like "My life is fine; I have nothing to be depressed/anxious about" or "Other people have it way worse."

    • Mental health issues don't have to be caused by traumatic experiences (but they can be).

    • Also, things like emotional abuse (without physical abuse) can seem "not that bad" when compared to others who have it worse, but both cause trauma.

    • But even people with happy lives and supportive families can have mental health struggles.

    • Even the most high-achieving people can be depressed. They are also often really exhausted from coping and pretending to be fine all the time.

    • Since mental illness is caused by brain chemistry or neuronal connection mix-ups, you could just be feeling bad just because you're feeling bad.

    • As we said earlier, if brain chemistry or brain structure gets mixed up, it gets mixed up. There is not always a specific cause to point to.