When Esme Keen, a 10th grade animation student found out she had ADHD, she said it “actually made a lot of sense.” Keen had heard about ADHD and realized the symptoms were quite present.

A significant rise in mental health awareness like this in the contemporary times of our school, Art and Design High School, had awakened multiple voices to talk about their mental health stories, some hidden and some not.

“I personally have ADHD and a lot of my friends have ADHD. 

So that’s one thing I do tend to see a lot,” said Keen.

Often, students share their stories to their friends or peers for guidance, not completely aware of what others have experienced, different or not.

Simone Dapaah, another 10th grade animation student, states how her actions alleviated other kids who struggle with mental health.  “I once had a time where I was with a friend in the middle of a midterm, and she had a bit of a panic attack,” she details. “So I brought her out of the classroom to comfort her.” Her friend “turned out to be okay.”

These comforts aren’t just limited to ADHD or panic attacks. Autism in its descriptful spectrum, OCD, anxiety, and depression are just a few different classes of mental health. But the different stories other people have told haven’t even matched close to the diverse, unique, and varied stories of A&D. Regardless, it is always important to get help. In fact, you are being the help people need by speaking up for yourself; you are advocating for the awareness of everyone.

Ms. Cox, 10th grade counselor, gives tips on how these insights can be put to action. “Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help, she said. “Asking for help doesn’t make you weak. It makes you stronger.”