Mental illness is more common than you would expect, with one in five people the ages 13-18 in America suffering from it. However, the stigma on mental illness has made it hard to reach out for help. So many teenagers feel alone, while failing to realize there are so many resources around them to get help.

Often, it is easy to be a bystander to mental illness or to see a friend struggling but not know what to do. Students at DGS should have resources to help their friends, or even themselves — and they do.

At DGS, there are many ways you can reach out for a friend in need, or get help for yourself.

1. An easy, but effective way to help you or your friend is to email your counselor, social worker or psychologist at school. This way, it’s not as intimidating but they can still make an appointment for you and your friend.
2. Going directly to the Support Services office, D170 is another option. If you feel that it is an urgent situation, the social workers/psychologists are always available to help. They have on-call psychologists and social workers, so there is always someone who can talk to you.
3. The most well-known way is to make an appointment with your counselor. You can then talk to your counselor about yourself, or your friend that you are concerned about. If you are speaking for a friend, your counselor can take the information you gave them and help set them up with an appointment with their counselor or someone is student support services.
4. Talking to another staff member may also be helpful in finding help for your friend or to talk through what is going on in your life.

Although it may not always seem like it, there are always people at DGS who are willing to help. There are people who care. And there are people you can talk to.