Mental illness affects millions of American adults each year. Unfortunately, it also affects kids. About 13 percent of children ages 8-15 live with a severe mental health disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Musician Alanis Morissette knows this well: In an interview with Health magazine, she says her eating disorder reared its head when she was a teenager. So she started seeing a therapist at age 15 and says that "it was awesome."
In an apparent attempt to remove the stigma surrounding the idea of seeking help, she says she talks to her own children about therapy all the time. She tells them "therapy is where someone really helps you understand your heart, and your soul, and your mind, and your story, and your thoughts." She also encourages her children to tap into — rather than hide from — their own feelings. "I want to give them the feeling that they're not alone, that I'm right here, and they can feel it all the way through," Morissette says, adding: "I really think the earlier you get your family into therapy, the better."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
