It can be chalked up to stress, adolescence, teenage angst.

It can be dismissed, swept under the rug, left unnoticed.

But mental illness is a prevalent issue, even among high school students.

“About 20 percent of all children and adolescents can be diagnosed with a mental illness before the age of 18,” child and adolescent clinical psychologist Barry Anton said.

In the past, people suffering from mental illness were institutionalized or shut away. This historical treatment of the mentally ill has manifested itself in modern stigma surrounding mental illness, according to Steven Vetzner, Senior Director of Media Relations for Mental Health America.

“I think it has come from, historically, a misunderstanding,” Vetzner said. “We, as a society, dealt with [mental illness] in a very unhealthy way.”

Misdealing with mental illness derives, in part, from its unseen qualities, according to psychology teacher Matt White.

“[It is sometimes assumed] that people have some sort of control over it; nobody says that if you break a leg or have a heart condition,” White said.

Mental conditions can be as affecting as other physical conditions and are not self-produced, according to Vetzner.

“Mental health conditions are really no different than other health disorders,” Vetzner said.

Anton echoed this thought.

“It’s not like your head is detached from your body,” Anton said.

Valerie Porr, author of Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder, A Family Guide for Healing and Change of Treatment and Research Advancements, TARA, for the National Association for Personality Disorder, says that people with borderline personality disorders and other mental illnesses suffer a significant amount of unseen pain.

Diagnosing mental illnesses is done by a medical professional but is sometimes questioned because of some supposed lack of objectivity.

“There are some subjective qualities to diagnoses,” White said. “If you can’t really quantify it as something the average person can see, it’s going to be subjected by the average person.”

Conditions are sometimes pinned as produced by the person, according to Anton.

“It’s often seen as some kind of personal failure,” Anton said. “I think it’s from fear and lack of understanding.”

Lack of understanding of mental illnesses is one of the most frightening qualities of the diseases and one of the largest sources of stigmatization, according to Porr.

“There’s a disconnect between kids and families and families begin to feel threatened,” Porr said.

Hospitalization for mental disorders is a common course of action taken by families for their mentally ill teens but it can have ostracizing and “shame-producing” effects, according to Porr.

“[Other students ask,] ‘Where’s Joe?’ ‘Joe’s in the nuthouse,’” Porr said.

Though lack of education is a large source of misunderstanding, it is not from lack of access to information; public service projects have been attempted, to much avail, but cost millions, according to Anton.

“There is a lot of information about it,” Anton said. “Trying to educate the public is expensive, [though.]”

When phrases like “I’m so OCD about that” are used, it trivializes the disease, according to White.

“We use serious mental disorders as punch lines, as serious descriptions of someone’s slightly odd behavior,” White said. “You know it’s become trivial when Oprah says, ‘Oh, I’m so OCD!’”

Popular culture’s portrayal of mental illnesses can be exaggerated or untrue, according to White.

“How do we portray people with mental disorders in TV and movies? They’re the psychotic killers, the crazy whack jobs,” White said. “It’s not as popular culture describes them.”

Teens who think they might be suffering from a mental illness have a multitude of accessible, private options, according to Anton.

After the age of thirteen, mental health care can be sought without parental consent and all disclosed information is guaranteed private, unless deemed life-threatening.

“Help is available and it can be very private,” Anton said. “I would like people to be more compassionate, more understanding because life happens and things happen to people.”

A multitude of treatment options are available, as well.

“The vast majority of mental illnesses are treatable,” Vetzner said. “There have been a number of positive strides; we still have a ways to go, yet.”