There's one thing the Jewish Federation of Manatee-Sarasota wishes you knew

Mental illness is something that affects all ages, and on an afternoon on Jan. 13, a group of teenagers worked to get the message out.

"Why isn't treating OCD like treating an infection?" said Ella Steinmetz, one of the teenaged organizers of the One Thing I Wish You Knew Mental Illness event. "We need to take our mental illness as seriously as our physical illness."

The event was hosted by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and sponsored by Chabad of Sarasota, The Thinking Center, The Betty & Marie Healy Family Foundation, Brandi's Wish, Jewish Family & Children's Services, Coastal Behavioral Healthcare, Compeer, Mark E. Schlanger, Crisis Text Line, and NAMI Sarasota County. Four speakers, all young adults, spoke about their dealings with mental illness and how they have moved forward.