OHIO — As more and more young people feel comfortable talking about mental health, an organization based in Ohio is hoping to help parents bridge that generational gap. 

The Kids Mental Health Foundation conducted a survey of 500 parents, asking what they believe to be the right age to talk to their children about mental health. 

75% said before middle school but less than a quarter said before kindergarten. 

“I don’t want kids just talking about it. I want us to have skills to address how to cope and how to identify what to do about it. And so we have information to help educate parents because I think some of the anxiety is... my kid is going to bring this information to me, and I’m not going to know how to respond. So we have information to help parents and adults know what is normal, right? We all have some anxiety. When does that become a problem?” said Whitney Raglin Bignall, PhD.

She said the organization wants to stress the importance of talking to children early, since the majority of brain development starts before the age of 5. 

“Like kids learn about letters and numbers, they need to learn about having emotions and coping with them as they’re able to speak,” said Whitney Raglin Bignall, PhD.

The Kids Mental Health Foundation provides resources for parents who need guidance on how to start and maintain conversations about mental health. 

“I grew up in a family that therapy wasn’t something that you would ever talk about,” said Tim Cotter. When his daughter Brigid was in 8th grade, she was diagnosed with generalized anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“I think it was scary hearing all those things at once of like, okay, well what does that mean for me now and for my future?” said Brigid. 

“Looking back, there were probably signs when she was in kindergarten and first grade,” said Debby Cotter, Brigid's mother. “You don’t want to believe that it’s something medical or something that needs some serious attention. You want to just think, oh, that can’t be that can’t be happening to us.”

As she got older, Brigid’s symptoms became more severe.

“I started missing a day of school, and then one day turned into two. Two days turned into two weeks, and I got to the point where I really couldn’t function,” said Brigid.

At the end of her junior year, Brigid and her parents made the decision to withdraw her from high school.

“I think it was hard because, especially then, people weren’t really talking as much about mental health and I think its easy when you see a physical illness to have sympathy... but when it’s your mind, its like okay why can’t you come to school? People wanted me to find a solution that i just didn’t have at that time,” Brigid said.  

As she was figuring out how to navigate her mental health, Tim and Debby were, too. “We got to that point where we realized that this was bigger than us. If she had been diabetic, we would have taken her to the doctor and done whatever was necessary there. If she had broken her leg, we would have taken her to the hospital. So, I think in our minds, this is medical just like those other things,” said Debby Cotter.

They stress the importance of making sure your child knows they can come to you, “make sure they’re seen, right? It’s hard to be that person and if you don’t feel like anyone else really understands what you’re going through. You have to meet them [your child] where they are,” said Tim Cotter. 

In the six years since Brigid left high school, she has forged her own path. She is a fitness instructor and model and says she hopes her journey can be an inspiration to others.

“I realized that my mental health is a part of me. It doesn’t define me, but it’s a part of me every single day and there’s going to be times where I struggle again. Just knowing that I got through it once and I can get through it again is a big help when I’m in those dark places,” said Brigid. 

She tells us she’s proud of the woman she is today and her parents played a pivotal role in helping her get there.