*Photo credit: Live Young and Free Magazine

On the outside, Kevin Breel was a typical high school teenager; he was captain of the basketball team, constantly made the honor roll and had a lot of friends. But on the inside, Breel was struggling with depression and had been for several years. Depression isn’t something you see discussed on the news or social media, yet it is one of the best documented problems we have in the world. Perhaps even more scary than the suffering is the stigma a person with depression can feel from other people.

“We are so accepting of any body part breaking down other than our brains. We’re people and we have problems. We’re not perfect and that’s ok. We need to stop the ignorance, intolerance, stigma and silence.” – Kevin Breel

Learn more in Kevin Breel’s TEDxKids talk below. Kevin Breel is a 21-year-old writer, comedian and mental health activist.

If you know a child or young adult struggling with depression or experiencing thoughts of self-harm, contact our psychiatric hospitals at 1-866-KVC-CARES (582-2273), or contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).