Youth Voices Episode 4: Mental Health And Mental Illness (3/24/2021) [AUDIO]

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 American adults experience a mental disorder every year, as well as 1 in 6 American children. Despite its commonality, negative attitudes towards mental illness still persist, including the idea that people with mental health disorders are violent, unstable or dangerous. Although it’s not always easy, talking about mental health and mental illness is the first step to normalizing one of the most stigmatized topics in American culture.

In the fourth episode of Youth Voices, WRFI’s J.T. Stone interviews Ithaca students about their experiences with mental illness. Genevieve Noel opens up about experiencing generalized anxiety disorder and sexual trauma, Edward Myers opens up about experiencing gender dysphoria and ADHD, Zadie Wang opens up about experiencing trichotillomania, and Elliot Bell opens up about experiencing depression and attempting suicide. Wang also recites an original poem titled “You Are Enough,” which promotes self-love.

This episode originally aired on WRFI on March 24, 2021. Previous episodes of Youth Voices can be found here.