It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizinni

One thing that struck me as interesting about It's Kind of a Funny Story is Craig's willingness to seek help. He takes his medication and participates in therapy; and when he's feeling suicidal, he calls the National Suicide Hotline and takes their advice to go check himself into the hospital. From the reading I've done for my single story, I've come to realize that there isn't one presentation of depression, but it's still impressive that a teen felt brave/comfortable enough to call the hotline and check himself into the hospital. Having depression can make it difficult to seek help. Those who are depressed may convince themselves that they don't need help or might be too scared to seek help. I'm glad that a young adult novel showed that seeking help is the right thing to do. It's so important that we destigmatize mental health for young people. Especially when, as of 2016, suicide is the second leading cause of death for those aged 10-24 in the United States. Unfortunately, I know it's not the case that every depressed adolescent will seek help, but I'm glad that Ned Vizinni normalized seeking help, and depicted a character who benefitted from seeking help. 

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