In light of World Mental Health Day happening in the past week, today’s blog will be dedicated to exploring more and advocating for the support of mental health. Together, we will learn more about what mental health is and the stigma, some statistics behind it, and ways to get help or who you can reach out to for support. Now, for some of us, mental health may be a touchy subject and reading this blog may be uncomfortable for you. If that is you, please, by all means, step away. But, I do hope that you will stick me throughout this blog and learn something new or be helped in any way by reading this.
World Mental Health Day happened last week on October 10th. It’s an international day for mental health education and awareness, and advocating for the end of the stigma regarding mental health. This year, mental health is especially important, with COVID changing our lives drastically. In the midst of this pandemic, we face isolation, grief, anxiety, and so much more. For some of us, our lives may be pretty decent, but for others, maybe not so much.
As I explained in one of my earliest blogs, mental health is more than just having an illness or disorder. It has to do with your mental well-being. It affects the way you think, act, or feel, sometimes to the point of affecting your daily life. Some examples of mental health are depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders, addictive behaviors etc. Here is an excellent source on topics and resources. Mental health is important all throughout our lifetime, but it’s especially important we look after it now. As teenagers, mental health is so prevalent to us because we go through so much stress and we may not be the best when it comes to making the right decisions. Depression is one of the leading conditions among adolescents, and suicide is the 3rd leading cause of deaths among adolescents (1). In fact, half of all mental illnesses begin at the age of 14, with 46% of all cases affecting teenagers (1),(2). What’s shocking though, is that many go untreated due to the stigma associated with mental health (2).
What is the mental health stigma? A stigma is considered a negative stereotype. Basically, people view you a certain way because of a certain trait you may have (3). Stereotyping someone can be extremely impolite, and can even be toxic when it comes to the mental health stigma. In doing so, you may be further harming someone with your remarks. For example, a stigma would be that people who have mental health issues are considered “weak” (4). This is false, mental health is not a result of a person’s will (4). Another common stigma is that you're “crazy” for getting help, or for even having a mental health issue in the first place (4). This again, is false and is complete nonsense. No one should be ashamed of getting help. In fact, choosing to get help is a sign of strength, not weakness. All in all, people view you differently, which can prompt a person’s mental health illness to derail even further.
Signs and symptoms may vary depending on the mental health issue you face, but here are some general ones: feeling sad or down, inability to focus, extreme mood changes or mood swings, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, withdrawal from a social life, detachment from reality, changes in eating habits, suicidal thinking etc. (5) Know the symptoms! If you think you may be struggling with some of these problems, it would be best to see a medical professional, or at least confide in someone. Mental health illnesses do not get better on their own. In fact, it may worsen over time. It may be hard, but confiding in someone can really do wonders for our mental well-being. Check out NAMI or SAMHSA for helplines. You are not alone in this.
If you know someone going through a mental health issue, show your support to them. Let them know that you are there for them. Take the time to sit down and have a discussion with them. But whatever you do, do not force them into anything as that may actually lead to them withdrawing more into themselves.
Check out NIMH or MHFA for some resources on learning more about mental health illnesses or how to get help.
Works Cited
(1) "Adolescent mental health." World Health Organization, WHO, 28 Sept. 2020,
www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health. Accessed
17 Oct. 2020.
(2)Holthaus, Jean. "The Importance of Mental Health Awareness." Pine Rest Christian
Mental Health Services, www.pinerest.org/mental-health-awareness-blog/.
Accessed 17 Oct. 2020.
(3)Mayo Clinic Staff. "Mental health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness."
Mayo Clinic, MFMER, 24 May 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/
mental-illness/in-depth/mental-health/art-20046477. Accessed 17 Oct. 2020.
(4)"Facts & Myths." NAMI New Hampshire, www.naminh.org/get-involved/advocate/
help-fight-stigma/facts-myths/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2020.
(5)"Mental illness." Mayo Clinic, MFMER, 8 June 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/
diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968. Accessed
17 Oct. 2020.
Did you already know about these mental health statistics? How have you been taking care of your mental health?
It was definitely very eye-opening for me while writing this blog. Mental health is especially important during adolescent years. School and work are definitely important, but I make sure I spend some time for myself and prioritize my mental well-being.