1 . One in five teens suffers from mental illness Parents of depressed (忧郁的) teens often think their child is just going through a certain stage, and don’t take the symptoms (症状) seriously. When I was 12 years old, I noticed something was not right with me. I told my mom, but she said I was just going through normal “teenage stuff”. I went on with everyday life, but was not able to function well. I felt depressed and seemed to be crying all the time. I never wanted to come out of my room or be around people. I even pushed people away who meant a lot to me.
I told my mother again what was going with me. Again, she explained away my symptoms by saying my hormones (荷尔蒙) were probably just acting up, but she did agree to take me to the doctor. I knew deep down that whatever was wrong with me was more than just hormones.
Parents need to take their children’s mental health seriously. Brushing it off as nothing will not make it go away. I want parents to understand that 20 percent of teens between the ages of 13 and 18 are suffering. Many of these teens feel like their voices won’t be heard if they tell their parents what they are experiencing. Parents and family members need to come together so that teens who suffer can get treatment.
I was very scared to tell my mom about what I was feeling, and it made me feel worse to be told I was just being a teen and that was hormonal. I truly believe that if teens were mere comfortable talking with their parents and telling them personal things, teen suicide and mental breakdowns would decrease. Teens will get treatment, feel more positive, and be able to live a more normal life.
1. How did the mother take the writer’s mental illness at first according to the text?| A．Seriously. | B．Nervously. |
| C．Casually. | D．Badly |
| A．Cutting it out. | B．Concentrating on it. |
| C．Paying no attention to it. | D．Making fun of it. |
| A．Treating their symptoms as something normal. |
| B．Taking their children to hospital for treatment. |
| C．Staying with their children more often. |
| D．Leaving their children alone. |
| A．To criticize the writer’s mum. |
| B．To draw public attention to teenage problems |
| C．To introduce the writer’s suffering of teenage life. |
| D．To persuade parents to be serious about children’s mental illness. |
