While mental health issues can happen at any age, teens are especially vulnerable. A lot of changes are going on in their life, and things can get very stressful very quickly. It is estimated that 20-25% of teens experience mental illness and suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for people ages 15-24. One of the first things you can do is be able to recognize signs of a potentially serious mental illness:

It's #MediaMonday, so I want share some documentaries about mental illness. These are ones I have seen and highly recommend:

This past weekend, I went to Nashville for QuiltCon. There were so many beautiful quilts and so many things to buy, plus I had some time to hang out in my hotel room or hang out in town. On paper, it was a great trip. But in reality, I was miserable almost the whole time.

Comorbidity is the presence of two or more disorders in the same person and it's fairly common in mental health. It's important to treat both disorders simultaneously because they are very interlinked.

I mentioned yesterday that taking my medication regularly and on time has really helped me a lot. And what helps with that is having a system and having support. Brian and I have a routine in the morning of asking each other if we've taken our pills and set our fantasy hockey lines. "Pills and lines?" "Lines and pills." We also have alarms set in the evenings for pills we take at night. Having both of us on board helps keep each other accountable and healthy. What sorts of systems do you have to help you stay on track?

I've talked a couple times about depersonalization/derealization before, which is something I experience from time to time. For me, it feels sort of like a dream, but in a panicky sort of way. I know what's happening isn't real, but it feels very real. Being aware that it isn't real is almost just as unsettling as the feeling itself. I'm stuck in the experience and can't get out of it, even though I know my brain is just messing with me.

Today I want to give a quick shout out to the Depressed Cake Shop! It is a grassroots organization that facilitates pop-ups worldwide that sell customized baked goods as a way to get people talking about mental illness.

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions marked by an unhealthy relationship with food. The three main types are anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder.

I've mentioned psychosis a couple times already, but today I'd like to go into a little more detail. The first big thing to note is that psychosis is a very real, and often severe mental illness. Using words like "psycho" or "psychotic" when talking about people's general behavior is completely inappropriate. People who are experiencing psychosis are having an impaired sense of reality and are in need of acute mental health care.

Today's video is a must-watch. In it, they talk about how our social connections play a crucial role in our emotional and physical well-being, and how loneliness is a major problem in our current world. They also describe what you can do to combat chronic loneliness, which is basically a better-worded (and better looking!) version of my post about CBT.

Please reach out to someone today and make that human connection. Humans are social creatures and we can take active steps to help each other out.

We're a little over half way done with #shawleveryday2019 and I want to talk a little more about Independence Center and the Clubhouse Shop program.

One of the more effective types of therapy is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. CBT rests on the idea that thoughts and perceptions influence behavior. Feeling distressed, in some cases, may distort one’s perception of reality. CBT aims to identify harmful thoughts, assess whether they are an accurate depiction of reality, and if they are not, employ strategies to challenge and overcome them.

Medication is one important aspect of mental health treatment and there are lot of options out there. Figuring out the right med combination and dosage can take a lot of time because unfortunately, the strategy is often one of guess and check.

Taking medication is not a sign of weakness or a sign that things are "really bad." Just like you would take medicine for a runny nose or a headache, taking medication for your mental health will reduce your symptoms and help you feel better.

Schizophrenia is an uncommon, but very serious mental illness. There used to be various distinct types of schizophrenic, but now they are considered part of a spectrum of disorders. Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations (experiencing things with any of your senses that doesn't exist), delusions (false beliefs that are easy to prove wrong), extremely disordered thinking, and abnormal motor behavior.

When talking about mental health, there are a bunch of things that you should NOT say! Words mean things and using the right ones can help reduce stigma and create a more supportive environment.

I've mentioned the super bright lamps a few times, so today I'd like to talk about them in a little more detail, along with seasonal affective disorder in general.

There are a variety of chemicals in our body called neurotransmitters, which transmit signals from one nerve cell (neuron) to another. This "neuro" part of the word is also where "neurotic" comes from, which used to be a common label for mental illness, but is no longer the preferred term.

Journaling can be a great tool to help you with your mental health. At its core, it just "writing life down." It can help you more objectively view your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and better see the perspectives of others. When we are in the moment of a frustrating or negative experience, it can be hard to see how to make the situation better. But by writing things down, you may be able to assess what happened and why and how you can make better choices next time.