Educating Youth About Mental Illness

Shelby Rankel

My story

I have struggled with mental illness since I was eight years old. For a long time I didn’t even know I had a mental illness. I just thought I had a ‘problem’ and I’d get over it. I didn’t realize that my anxiety and my repetitive and obsessive actions were a sign of something bigger. What was just a nervous habit at first escalated into full-blown obsessive-compulsive behaviour. I tried to hide my behaviour from my parents as best as I could.

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screening self tests

Try our quick self-tests for mood disorders, anxiety disorders or risky drinking to learn more about signs and behaviours you may be experiencing, or just to learn more what they look like

interactive toolkits

Use some of our online tools for information and assistance with mental disorders. Included are tips, strategies and quizzes to help guide you to information and people that can help.

discussion forum

Use our bulletin board to share your experience with others. From time to time, we may choose to feature posted stories in Visions journal or in our Experiences section.