Wenger 1

Julia Wenger
Professor Douglas
UWRT 1102
Multi-Genre Project
Not So Different After All

Kate is starting new school today and is especially nervous, probably more nervous than
she should be. Kate has a fear of rejection and hatred by her peers because Kate suffers from
mental illness, a topic that is hard to understand and talk about. When she was fourteen she was
diagnosed with a Severe Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Clinical Depression, Obsessive
Compulsion Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and shows eating disorder tendencies with
self-harm tendencies. Yet, Kate is nothing like her disorders and is not so different from society
at all. She loves to play tennis, be involved with the community and her school, for the most part
likes to be around people, go on adventures, spend time with her friends and family, cuddle with
her pets, and do normal teenage girl activities/ things. Kate is also a hard-working student,
caring, kind and friendly person to everyone she meets. At her old school in Virginia, her family,
friends, peers and teachers were very accepting of her and her mental illness. Kate does know
however not everyone treats people with mental illnesses like her friends and teachers did.
On November 20th, 2012 Kate started her very first day at her new school. She walks
into her fourth period AP Psychology class and takes a seat. Her teacher is Mr. Todd, an older
gentleman in his late forties- early fifties who double majored in teaching in Psychology and
Education with a minor in Sociology. Her classmates are very diverse in gender, race and
demographics. The chapter the class is covering is on mental illness and today they are
discussing the mass shooting in a movie theatre that occurred just four months prior on July 20th,

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2012 in Aurora, Colorado. Yet the focus was on the mental state of the shooter, James Holmes.
Mr. Todd asked the class their thoughts on mental illness. The class began discussing that either
he is actually mentally ill or he is using the insanity plea to avoid the death penalty. The
conversation then turned when a girl in Kates class began talking about anyone with mental
illnesses are always violent, unpredictable, and unstable. This began to anger Kate because Kate
is far from violent and unstable. Yet, she just decided to sit still and not say anything while her
other classmates began to chime in. Mr. Todd then asked all his students their opinion on
persons with mental illness. Each student began to discuss his or her opinions on the mentally
ill. Most of the comments and discussions were negative and completely untrue. Kate then began
to feel very overwhelmed with negative feelings about herself because of her mental illnesses.
Not being able to hold her thoughts and emotions towards her peers stigmatization of mental
illness, Kate finally decided to share her own thoughts on mental illness. Kate stood up in front
of the class and began sharing her thoughts.
My name is Kate Mack and I am new here. I do know somethings about mental illness
that you make not know about. I can tell you not everyone with a mental illness is unstable or
unpredictable or even violent. In fact, most people with a mental illness are nonviolent. Only less
than three percent of people with mental illnesses are considered violent and a threat to society.
Catherine Zeta- Jones, Beethoven, Abraham Lincoln, Terry Bradshaw, Princess Diana, J.K
Rowling, and Mary-Kate Olsen are just a few successful people who encountered mental
illnesses that we idolize. Yet, because of the stigmatization people with mental illnesses get it is
hard for them to seek proper help and hold a job, etc. I guess it is because yall do not understand
mental illness. So, let me introduce my self my name is Kate Mack and I have a mental illness. I

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enjoy tennis, hanging with my friends, participating in the community. If you get to know me
you will know I am hard-working and the least violent person as possible. So, before you begin
to judge someone with a mental illness, try to get to know them first.
Kate then sat down leaving the whole classroom speechless. The class bell rang Kate
calmly left. As she left a few students walked up to her to apologize and thanked her for her
speech. The students then decided to ask Kate to hangout with them so they could get to know
each other better. After that day, Kate has made many new friends at her school and can openly
talk about mental illnesses and her personal experience to help others and end the stigmatization.