BIDDEFORD — A group of Maine adolescents involved with Saco-based youth empowerment program Project Aware have been featured in a TIME Magazine cover story discussing the rise of depression and anxiety among young adults across the country.

The story, written by TIME author and editor Susanna Schrobsdorff, tells the story of three Maine teenagers’ struggles with depression, anxiety and self-harm. Included in the piece are Phoebe Gariepy, 17, of Arundel, and Alison Heyland, 18, of Saco. 

Faith-Ann Bishop, a writer and co-writer of four Project Aware films, was also featured in the piece and graces the cover of the magazine, which is America’s widest-circulated weekly news magazine.

Schrobsdorff reached out to Project Aware after watching Bishop’s film, “a better place,” a story about self-harm, online, said Project Aware Director Carl Lakari. Interviews were held at Engine last year, Lakari said, and more than a dozen young adults told their stories to the reporter.

Gariepy said Thursday she has been overwhelmed by the support the piece has received since it was posted to the magazine’s website earlier this week. The print version will appear on newsstands Monday.

“Doing this, having all the interviews, is kind of crazy for me because I went through (my struggles) a couple years ago. I was having really a hard time in eighth grade going into freshman year,” Gariepy said. “That’s when it all started to hit me.”

Gariepy said at the time of her major depressive episodes, she had been involved in an emotionally abusive relationship, but the majority of her depression and anxiety stemmed seemingly from nowhere.

“You can’t say there’s a reason why you’re depressed or why you have anxiety. Most people expect you to have one,” she said. “It would come out of nowhere and it didn’t really have any basis.”

Gariepy said she tried various coping mechanisms, including seeking guidance from blogs online — some of which, she said, only worsened her experience. She felt guilty asking for help from her friends and family, and had to learn how to cope with her struggles on her own.

Gariepy’s story echoes a phenomenon reaching far and wide across the nation.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about 3 million teenagers between 12 and 17 experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2015. About 6.3 million teenagers — about 30 percent of girls and 20 percent of boys — have an anxiety disorder, says the National Institute of Mental Health.

Lakari said some people require serious treatment, such as hospitalization or intensive support. Others just need a creative outlet, he said. He stressed the importance of youth empowerment programs, like Project Aware, because they give teens an important method into which they can channel their emotions.

The organization formed in 2003 with the goal of raising awareness about youth prescription drug abuse. Since then, the group has produced more than 20 public service announcements and 12 short films about issues relating to bullying, depression and anxiety, self-harm, substance abuse and suicide.

The impact, said Lakari, is to change lives by offering teenagers a supportive and non-judgmental community that fosters creativity and collaboration.

“The goal of Project Aware is to help young people find things they’re passionate about, and I think a lot of kids are in Phoebe’s situation but they don’t have any creative outlets,” he said. “Offering that through youth empowerment programs is so critical.”

Lakari also said parents have a role in helping their teens’ understand and deal with their depression. He said parents constantly need to reaffirm and reinforce that they are there for their children and want to help, especially in times of crisis.

But everyone’s different, Lakari said. What may work for one teen may not for another, and it’s important that parents maintain an active role in their children’s lives.

As a parent, he speaks from experience. He still remembers when he received a call that his own daughter had been engaging in self-harming behavior.

“I remember where I was, what time it was. It’s scary, it’s really scary,” he said. “I didn’t know what Nadia was doing in her room, and I stayed home a lot because I wanted to be there for her.”

“That we have control as parents, it’s not very realistic,” he said. “Kids that age can make their own choices. We have to let go at a certain extent.”

Gariepy said her struggles with depression and anxiety, while emotionally taxing and difficult to handle, made her who she is today: both a survivor and an advocate.

As a result, she said, she can help change lives and provide support to those with mental illness and those around them. Already, she and the others interviewed for the story have received several inquires and commendations from people across the country.

“Going through that, I wouldn’t be the person I am right now. I wouldn’t be able to help people at the capacity I can now,” Gariepy said. “I feel important. I feel heard. Other people are hearing from me and they’re getting whatever they get from it.”

“You can heal your trauma, express it, and use it help someone,” she added. “It’s the most constructive thing to help someone else by letting them know what’s happened to you.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].