AUGUSTA -- Brianne Masselli would keep her mental illness under wraps as a child and teen.

"Whenever I was hospitalized, there was always a cover-up," Masselli, now 27, said.

"It was either that I was sick with mono or something else."

Though Masselli's family was involved in helping her seek treatment and get well, they "are very private," Maselli said.

"They didn't want people to know or talk about it."

Masselli shared her experiences of living with a mental illness and assisting others at the Statehouse Thursday during Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. She is a youth coordinator for Thrive Initiative, a program which offers peer- and family-driven help for youth with mental disorders.

Carol Tiernan, program director for the Gaining Empowerment Allows Results -- or G.E.A.R. -- Parent Network, believed the event would also help break down stereotypes and stigmas society has about mental illnesses, especially ones in minors.

"Children should be able to walk into a facility and receive help for their mental illness as easily as someone with a broken arm goes to the emergency room for help," Tiernan said.

Masselli said youth awareness is important for children, teens and young adults who are trying to control a mental illness.

"Communication is really the key here, and I still don't see that happening," Masselli said.

"When I was a consumer, decisions were often made between a doctor or counselor and my parents, but I wasn't involved when those decisions were being made about me."

Cheyenna Spelman, 19, agreed with Masselli. She said she could never talk to her parents when she was depressed and sad, and would "just not care about anything."

"Kids want to heard," Spelman said of children with mental illness.

"They want someone to talk to and reach out to. Unfortunately, sometimes it's too late."

Dr. Neil Colan, a psychologist and chief executive officer of the Good Will-Hinckley school, believes early diagnosis of a child's mental illness could make the difference in how the child responds to treatment.

"Attending to a child's overall mental health is absolutely fundamental," Colan said. "When we are able to address a mental illness, there is much improvement in the trajectory of their overall health, and their growth."

Tiernan said approximately 7,000 children and teenagers in Maine are receiving treatment and services for mental illness through public or state organizations.

Meghan V. Malloy -- 623-3811,

Ext. 431

mmalloy@centralmaine.com