For PA graduate Cassandra Bonacorsi, her depression hit the bottom her junior year in high school.

Ms. Bonacorsi said she started starving herself that year, frequently breaking down into fits of tears. She said that living with her mental illness had become unsustainable.

Then she decided to get help. Ms. Bonacorsi started seeing a counselor and taking medication, and slowly her life began to turn around.

Ms. Bonacorsi suffers from clinical depression, and she is now advocating for the de-stigmatization of mental illnesses. She said it’s all too common for people suffering from a mental illness to be treated differently.

“People do treat me differently, yes,” said Ms. Bonacorsi. “I tend to turn my mental illness into a joke, just because it makes the whole experience seem less scary.”

A senior here at PA, who wishes to remain anonymous, said people who don’t suffer from a mental illness need to become sensitive of the people who do.

“It is hard to talk about, so be careful with what you say,” the student said. “It affects people more than you would think.”

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illnesses, approximately 1 in 5 adults suffer in the United States.

Globally, more than 70 percent of people with a mental illness receive no treatment, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The senior, however, wanted to make it clear to others that they weren’t alone and that there is no shame in asking for help.

According to Mental Health America, there are a plethora of treatment options, including psychotherapy, medication, case management, hospitalization, support groups, complementary and alternative medicine, self help plans and peer support.

For some students, creating laughter can also be therapeutic. Junior Issac Pease-Rivera said that he used to be self-conscious about his ADHD but now he uses it to make others laugh.

Ms. Bonacorsi said that one positive thing came out of her mental illness: she wants to now become a school counselor.

“Having depression made me realize that I want to help other teenagers suffering from mental illnesses,” she said.

“Life is so beautiful, even in the darkest times,” she added. “I know it’s tempting to give up, but you are stronger than you think you are.”