Mental Health awarness

Mental Health awareness 

          Mental Health cannot be identified on the surface, mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health awareness needs to be discussed more often to ensure people understand they are not alone, many fail to seek help because they are scared to acknowledge the situation. According to a Mental Health Stigma research by Drs. Thomas Ungar and Rivian Weinerman, “stigma is one of the major barriers preventing people from seeking help” which is unfortunate to think about considering these people who are affected may be among our community. There are many myths that surround having mental problems, which subsequently makes it easier for people to be in denial. The fact is, if people don’t receive help at early stages it can only lead to worse situations. According to the Mental Health government website many “biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry, life experiences, such as trauma or abuse, family history of mental health problems” contribute to why people have mental problems, to add on to that, everyone's situation will be different based off the occurrences in their life. We live in a progressive world where if people with physical disabilities need help they can seek it, that same amount of attention should be given to those going through a mental battle by themselves. A lot of people react in different ways, in order to create a change this discussion needs to be raised through dialogue and spreading awareness.

          I care about mental health because I know that in a world where people have faced individual struggles it’s possible to come across life situations that can take an emotion toll on oneself. Those that struggle with mental health can be at risk for depression and even suicide. Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the United States, unfortunately in most instances people give up and the worse part of it all is how it goes unexpected from others. I personally know of someone who went through this and caught everyone by surprise. According to the statistics by the American Foundation for Suicide prevention, when it comes to suicide there are different rate differences depending on demographic characteristics, age, gender, ethnicity, and race. Nonetheless, suicide occurs in all demographic groups and it can happen to anyone. It is not a character flaw, it does not identify anyone, and it is very common.

Community

Catalina Verduzco

"I think at some point everyone deals with mental issues but we suppress it because of this stigma of mental illness. Mental health awareness is important because the more it’s explained the more it helps break down mental health stigmas like people thinking that if you have a mental issue you’re “crazy” cause there’s so much more to it than that."

Mary Perez

"Anything can trigger mental instability. Death, breakup, a sudden change, and identity change as well. Rejection. Or it's simple disorders that people do have. Aka OCD, bipolar. So talking about mental health without the stigma is important and dismantling the idea that we need to have our shit together all the time is important. We can break down we can also go a little crazy. That's okay because we can also heal"

Janee Henry

"Mental Health awareness is important because people should be aware about how others behavior and energy affect them in a long way and how it can stay with them forevaa"

Katherine Thompson

Mental health awareness is important because surprisingly many people struggle with low self esteem, depression, and stress can consume a persons well being. So many people are afraid to ask for help because they feel embarrassed. The thought of bringing up an issue with ones own mental health can seem embarrassing because automatically someone else can assume that this person is not in their right mind. I've dealt with this in the past and I took the time to talk to a counselor about personal problems anyways to fix them. I also do have friends that struggle with mental health and it has taken them time to be comfortable with accepting it and discussing it with professionals.

Paul Samuels

"Mental health is important and often overlooked, people are often ashamed to ask for help because they fear being shaded and looked down by others. If more people paid attention to others mental health then maybe we wouldn't have so many recent ongoing tragedies example the last Vegas shooting. I haven't dealt with and mental health issues but as a health care provider I often communicate with those who do suffer and the main reason they often never ask for help is the fear of being shamed."

Reflection

Mental health is crucial to our survival. I think a lot of the struggle is within ourselves, it is loneliness when we feel like no one comprehends us. It is important to keep a balanced mental health by practicing small things like breath control or reminding yourself of little accomplishments. It is so easy for us to cope with various other things instead of handling our issues. That also is associated with rejection and the idea that our feelings and thoughts might be wrong, or too much too handle and we will be labeled "crazy". I think society is becoming more accepting and willing to help those in need than in the past. Mental health should not be seen as a disability, we as society need to learn how to adapt and construct our way of thinking to more positive outlooks.

Sources

“Mental Health Myths and Facts.” Mental Health Myths and Facts | MentalHealth.gov,       www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/mental-health-myths-facts.