The Girl Who Was Blue by Sally O Lee

Charming and thoughtful picture book enlightens and teaches children and parents about children who face the reality of taking medication for childhood mental illnesses. It is a story to help both parents and children alike dissolve the stigmas surrounding medication and its acceptance in their daily lives.
 

Many parents struggle with this reality because either they think they have done something wrong or that they can fix it on their own. The children begin to feel that it is their fault and if they were just more positive, then life would be better. But some mental illnesses are chemical and so medication is a logical and necessary treatment.

When asked what inspired Lee to write this particular story, she said, “I am a sufferer of depression myself. I tried everything to feel better but nothing worked. I think my parents were at a loss as to what to do when I was growing up. I think that mental illness is often swept under the rug as a phase or a person with a bad attitude. But the reality is that a lot of times, it is chemical. How different is it from taking medication if you had diabetes or any other condition? It is very important to have a positive attitude but sometimes it is beyond our control. My goal here was to de-stigmatize the need for medication and how it can give people back their lives or give them a life that they never had before.

I have benefitted greatly from medication, and it has changed my life drastically. As with all my stories, I want to pass along a message that I feel is not heard very often but needs to be said.

In addition, I do not have a hidden agenda to say all kids who are having a bad day or a behavorial problem should be put on medicaton. Clearly, some kids need different kinds of attention. But for the kids (or adults) who chronically struggle with depresson or other mental illnesses, there are successful treatments available. People do not have to suffer on their own with a life plagued by a mental illness.