Brianna Reyna

Mental Health 

Why Mental illness is important to me? 

   Mental Illness is important to me because as someone who deals with anxiety, everyday can be a challenge. The fear, stress and worrying is something I deal with and try and overcome, and not knowing when my anxiety will be too much for me to handle on one day than the other. At times it really difficult to be in situations where others don't understand what I'm going through, or I can't explain how it affects me.

what is mental illness ?

• an illness that affects an individuals thinking, feeling, mood, behavior.
• mental illness can include emotional, psychological and social well being
• mental illness impacts how individuals deals with stress, make decisions

What causes mental illness?

• Trauma
• Abuse
• Medical Condition 
• Biological factors 
• Substance Abuse 

Different forms of Mental Illness?

• Depression 
• Anxiety 
• Bipolar Disorder 
• ADHD
• Schizophrenia 

What does mental illness effect ?

• Coping with the stresses of life
• Be physically healthy
• Having good relationships
• Make meaningful contributions to your community
• Work productively
• Realize your full potential

Statistics  

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year 
• 1 in 25 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 
• 1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness.
• Anxiety is the top presenting concern among college students (41.6%) followed by depression(36.4)
• 24.5% of clients were taking psychotropic medications, 19% of directors report the availability of psychiatric services on their campus is inadequate. 

Why is mental illness important? Why should the community care?

        Mental illness, especially depression, increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like stroke, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness.(cdc.gov) 

The community should care about Mental Illness because it can and does affect many people that individuals interact with everyday. A parent, friend, a classmate, co-worker, the person driving the car right next to. It is important for the community and society in general to have empathy and patience when it come to people with mental illness because it creates less of a stigma and more acceptable for people to talk about. 

So why should we care? Why is it important? 

Interviews

 "I think mental illness is a serious issue in this world. Most people suffer in some way from this disease. We don’t put enough emphasis on treating these individuals. Additionally, I think a lot of crime can be linked backed to mental illness. Society should focus on diagnosing and treating more people. Also we should normalize talking about mental illness in the mainstream media." - Raven Walker, 23

Mental illness is an issue that shouldn’t be overlooked. Many people deal with different variations and severities. For example, depression is a common illness; although some forms of depression require professional attention, it can be present at certain point in a persons life. It requires counseling, and everyone needs guidance/wisdom in life situation. There should be more awareness, better communication, and more open minded people to help ease a situation. -Katherine Hernandez, 22

Honestly, mental illness isn't something that crosses my mind all the time. Thinking about it now, I do see how important it is. As a society you are starting to see more and more individuals and celebrities even come out and speak on mental illness and having them. It is also something that is getting more accepted and understanding.At the same time, I think it is important for those who have mental illness feel comfortable talking about it and having the resources and information to seek out help.










Sources
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/May-2017/How-You-Can-Stop-Mental-Illness-Stigma

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-stigma

https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm

https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers

https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/06/college-students