Picture: a girl with dark unbrushed hair, standing against a building smoking a cigarette, letting the ashes fall to the sides of her scuffed up boots. In a window in the building she stands against, there is a boy, 17 or so, looking out with tears in his eyes, and a guitar his dad used to play in his lap. They’re beautiful, right? Some would even say poetic.

This is the modern fantasy of teenage angst and sadness. We lust after characters in movies with these same angsty personas, wishing we could be as cool as them, or be with someone as cool as them. But as many of us know, it’s not so pretty in the real world.

Now picture a high school. How many students in the halls have smiles on their faces? How many of them have a best friend you can recall off the top of your head? How many of them are getting A’s in their classes? Are on a sports team? Have a hobby they’re passionate about? Take a look at these faces, and point out which ones are struggling with a mental illness. Studies say that one in five of them are.

The rise in adolescents dealing with a mental illness has become a pressing concern in the psychological world. A study published in the Pediatrics journal in 2016 reports a 37 percent increase between 2004 and 2014 in teenagers experiencing clinical depression or depressive episodes. The National Institute of Health and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reaffirm this trend. Therapists and social workers on the ground level, and government administrations who oversee mental health are well aware of this concerning reality. It leaves all parties wondering the same inconceivable question—why?

As with many grand questions, there is not one answer that can be pinpointed. Melanie Eisner, who has been working as a clinical social worker since 2009, says that social media and the increase in use of technology play a significant role.

“In terms of just feeling that genuine human connection, it’s really been lost in a lot of ways,” she said.

Increased academic stress is also speculated to play a role in the increased number of youth experiencing mental illness and struggling to cope with it. Sarah Berger, a clinical psychologist in Northwest DC, explains that especially in populous cities such as DC and New York, the stress by schools on academic achievement is greater than ever. And a rising number of students are attempting or committing suicide—the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds in the US. Studies say men commit suicide 3.5 times as often as women, though women tend to seek out therapy more often.

Berger explains, “some people say women are more open to getting treatment and admitting it, but who knows what the actual reason is.” Some say that societal expectations for men to be strong, tough, and masculine creates an internalized opposition to therapy, while others argue that the difference is biological—that women are just more prone to anxiety and depression. Whatever the case may be, therapy can be crucial in the path to recovering from or coping with mental illness.

When an individual needs therapy, but cannot access it or does not seek it, the consequences can be deadly. The exclusion of the Black community in mental illness treatment has been plagued Blacks struggling with mental illness since the start of clinical therapy. A lack of access combined with a generally negative perception of therapy in many Black communities has led to huge disparities in the population of Americans who participate in it.

Eisner says, “[Historically,] I think that there was a problem with psychoanalysis...it wasn’t culturally adept. It was this one western way of looking at the mind.” In recent years, however, more and more clinical psychologists have moved into Black communities to destigmatize mental illness and provide therapy for those in need of it. But simultaneously, an increasing amount of clinical psychologists have gone into private pay, leaving those with lower socioeconomic statuses with nowhere to seek help.

“It’s hard as a clinician to get adequate reimbursement from the insurance companies, so then most clinicians have gone into private pay, and that dramatically affects who can access it. Some clinicians will do what they call a sliding scale or even pro bono work, but it can be really hard to find a good clinician who will do those things,” said Berger.

So why is mental illness often glorified, when it really is a debilitating and traumatic thing? The idea of a “tortured genius” resonates with iconic creatives like Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, and Sylvia Plath, but even dates back to Ernest Hemingway and Vincent Van Gogh. Their followers glorified them and made their sadness and recklessness lustful. Eisner explains, “[Society thinks] if you’re an artist you have to suffer, and there’s something beautiful in that,” but in reality, Eisner explains, the methods of coping with mental illness such as using drugs and drinking alcohol only block creativity.

Though these icons may be wrongfully glorified, there is truth and significance to their pain. Creativity and mental illness may very well be connected. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that people who made their living through either a scientific or creative occupation were more likely to have bipolar disorder. The study also found that writers, specifically, were more likely to experience schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse, and were more likely to attempt suicide.

In a time where mental illness among youth is on the rise, destigmatizing is more important than ever. The more conversations, awareness, and representation surrounding mental illness, the more those struggling will be willing to seek help. And the more people who seek help, the less self harm, violence, isolation, and pain will occur. A common feeling among those experiencing mental illness is loneliness, but there is comfort in the numbers. Millions of men, women, teenagers, and adults struggle with mental illness each day. No matter how much it may feel like it, you are not alone.