Linda Vigen Phillips is the author of Crazy, a young adult book written in verse which tells the story of a teenage girl coming to terms with her mother’s mental illness.

Before Linda became a published author, she was a stay-at-home mom of twin boys, and a teacher in North Carolina. She found the years working with the learning disabled population extremely rewarding and humbling.

Let’s talk about Crazy. We were at a workshop together when you got word a publisher was interested. Yay! What led you to write this story?

I didn’t set out to write about mental health issues intentionally. I began spewing out poems, from the heart, as a cathartic exercise shortly after my boys were born. I think becoming a mother finally brought me to come to terms with my own mother’s mental health issues.

Mental health is a very personal and emotional topic. Do you have tips for writing about these issues?

“Writing from the heart” has become the theme I used successfully in writing workshops for students and adults. I advocate “writing your heart out” in whatever form is most comfortable and natural for you. While I am not a psychologist, I love the concept of bibliotherapy, using books as therapeutic treatment of mental illness. School library journal has a great article on it here: http://tinyurl.com/jobu28d

Do you have suggestions for discussing mental health issues?

Being open and honest about my own experiences has opened up many opportunities for dialogue. I have never left a speaking engagement without at least one person sharing his or her story, many times in tears. Often, in group settings my sharing opens a floodgate of personal responses. I guess the answer here is providing a safe and comfortable environment can lead to personal growth, insight, and release.

You mentioned to me teachers are not taking on the topic of mental illness. Any ideas why?

In general, YA books are more difficult to market to the schools than middle grade simply because high schools do not factor in much time for assemblies and author talks.

The more I learn about mental health and its “comfort zone” as a conversation topic in the community and especially in school settings, the more I am convinced we have a long way to go before the stigma is lifted and dialogue is as comfortable as talking about a sporting event. As a teacher, I remember speakers on all sorts of physical ailments in order to educate and solicit compassion among the students, but I don’t ever recall anyone addressing mental health. As a teacher, I had more than one student with bipolar, OCD, and depression in middle school.

Because mental illness can affect everyone in one aspect or another, what age should we start teaching kids about this and having books available to them?

As early as third grade I think. Yes, yes, yes. If we can have books about death, sexual orientation, Alzheimer’s, and serious physical illnesses that impact elementary students, why not face up to the mental illness that inhabits at least 20% of households today?

As readers and writers, we need guidance when it comes to finding books on this subject. What would you suggest for us.

Many librarians can recommend novels with protagonists dealing with a variety of mental health issues. All readers should be aware that there are excellent middle grade, young adult, and adult books that depict protagonists dealing with a wide array of topics including depression, schizophrenia, suicide, and more. We don’t often search for them unless an illness touches close to home then we want desperately to know we are not alone. Fiction characters become very relevant to teens.

As writers, there cannot be enough books that address the multitude of diagnoses through the voice of fictional characters. And once these books enter the world, it will take bold and innovative teachers to break through the tried and true standard reading list to bring these into the classroom.

There is also a need for biographies and memoirs that tell the stories of real people dealing with real, hardcore illnesses. These are few and far between because we only hear about success stories. Success can mean learning how to live with the daily challenges of medications, employment, housing, transportation, and socialization. I would love to see more of these for all age groups.

Share with us a few things that have made an impact, for you personally and for the community, as a result of writing and publishing a book about mental illness.

Personally, the one-on-one contact I’ve had along the speaking trail and through fan mail has been the biggest reward. My book has not hit the bestseller list, but it has definitely spoken to the hearts and souls of many who have lived with someone experiencing mental illness or who have experienced it themselves.

In the community, I have found a niche through National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) http://www.nami.charlotte.org Interestingly enough, my first encounter with them wasn’t that positive. Several in that organization let it be known they didn’t like the title and were trying to eradicate the use of the word “crazy.” I understood where they were coming from initially, so I set out to get to know them. I took the three-month intensive Family 2 Family course, spoke at one of their educational forums, and began going to various meetings. I helped create a partnership, a drop-in center designed to offer socialization to those whose social contact may have suffered due to mental illness.

Staggering statistics about mental illness.

75% of all mental illnesses are diagnosed by age 24, with 25% of young persons between 18-24 having a diagnosable mental illness.

For the second anniversary of Crazy, Linda is doing a Goodreads giveaway until October 20, 2016. And for more information on Linda, her book, and her YA picks, you can find her at Linda Phillips.

HALLI GOMEZ teaches martial arts and writes for children and young adults because those voices flow through her brain. She enjoys family, outdoors, reading, and is addicted to superhero movies. You can find her on Twitter.