Freedom of Sketch

Author's Note

In the United States, approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13-18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point in their life. For children aged 8-15, the estimate is 13%.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 10-14, and the second leading cause of death for people aged 15-24.

If you've read this far, I can't thank you enough. This is more than just a story to me. This could be the reality of someone's life. My goal was to present these societal issues in a way that was entertaining but not glamorized, educational but not preachy, and realistic but not dramatized. It is not a memoir, and though the events in the book are based upon things I have seen, heard, and experienced, it is entirely fictional.

In 2012, I achieved one of my biggest dreams: I became a mental health technician. Mental health technicians are the front line staff, tasked with the most patient contact. They are there to run groups, take vitals, intervene in crisis situations, offer a listening ear, serve food, observe behavior, and much more. It was an exciting job and it taught me many things. I remember being on 1:1s (or "Stalker Status", as I call it in the book), watching patients sleep while simultaneously writing this story in tiny handwriting on folded pieces of paper. My favorite unit to work on was the pediatric ward.

At the time of this update (April 2020), I live in South Florida, where I give presentations on mental health in order to end stigma and reduce the alarming suicide rate. I was also accepted into a Master's program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at my dream school, and can't wait to start this fall!

Again, I really appreciate your reads, votes, comments, criticisms, advice, etc. Stay safe, and remember: recovery is possible.

--Rebecca