Frustration, anxiety, and loneliness define too many high school experiences. For students with mental illness or other disabilities, this characterization is almost universal. Students with disabilities begin their high school careers immediately labeled as "special" and soon are ostracized from the larger student community. In high school terms, they are deemed weird and different. This brief article calls for greater understanding among both students and teachers and recognition of the fact that the only way to approach any disability is with determined compassion. Based on his personal association with mental illness, Josh Friedman suggests ways to encourage understanding and acceptance of students with mental health issues both in schools and in the broader community.