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."
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