Imagine an average high school classroom- a professor giving a physic lecture to a class of 25 students. Now, consider the fact that one in five people struggle with mental illness- a behavioral, social, or emotional disorder. Global statistics suggest that at least five individuals in that classroom are likely to be struggling with a mental illness, and that does not exclude the professor (NAMI).

Braintree High School is host to a lively student body and offers a myriad of activities which offer students solace, but what happens when the field lights shut down, the curtain closes, and the laughter dies out? Does mental illness become a relevant conversation among students, or does it remain taboo, isolated, and untouched? The truth is stereotypes are viral, and they thrive in a dark, stigmatized environment.

Although Braintree High’s curriculum mandates students take physical education and a health education class, there are still stigmas associated with mental health. Committed to physical and mental wellness, these courses fail to explore the complexities of the developing teenage brain in a way that impacts students. For example, students either hear malign whispers in the halls or make sardonic jokes of their own to cope with the subtle prevalence of mental illness. Among the student body mental illness is generalized and stigmas are normalized.

For those who dismiss discussing mental health as inconsequential, there is real danger in students’ inability to identify a mental illness or consider their peer’s behaviors from a clinical perspective. As of October 2018, there have been 65 reported cases of firearms being used on school campuses. The link between violence on campus and mental illness is damning according to the Los Angeles Times; negligence of student’s mental health leads to violent acts and substance use.

When athletes neglect their physique they are unable to perform. What happens if they play a season with an undiagnosed concussion? Physical health is equally important to mental health. Humans are not immune to mental illness, but ignorance can be treated.

Superstars from Lady Gaga to Ryan Reynolds and Kendrick Lamar have made this remedy global; they have conquered the stigma and advocated for mental health throughout the nation. What have these humble servants actually done for the public? They started a conversation on a topic many people take with a grain of salt and malice- mental illness.

In any given room where five or more people are gathered, one of those people will have a mental illness. These people are brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers. These people are friends, faculty, athletes, and superstars. Mental illness is no secret, but the conversation must begin at a local level to boom throughout the echo chambers of the nation. Mental illness is part of the human experience, but stigma festers and growls and lurks. Do not be afraid to understand what it means to have depression or schizophrenia. Do not give stigma a home at Braintree High.