Mental Health -Depression
What is the issue
Depression can happen to anyone when multiple reasons such as getting stresses from outside, changing environment and physical diseases happen at the same time. The reason how/why depression happens is not completely clear, but researches says weaken nerve's connection in brain cause it.
Some people do not go to counseling and just ignore if they realize they get depressed feeling, because they think getting mental disease is shamble. The problem is such prejudice become barrier to ask help to family or professionals.
Statistics/Facts
-44 million (18%) adults in the US have mental illness.
-1 of 3 screeners are scored depressed in any ages.
-younger people have higher ratio to get self-harm.
-suicide is the 10th cause of the death in US.
-more than 70% of screeners who scored moderately severe depression/ severe depression have never been diagnosed by professionals.
-about 1 of 5 adults in US will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any ages.
-the environment which causes to diagnosable mental health condition is made by 14 years old.
Personal Experience
I chose mental health for this assignment because I had hard time in high school. My high school life was stressful. There were lots of homework, exams, and club activities. My schedule was getting up 6 am, finishing classes 4pm, leaving school 6pm after club activity then go to cramming until 10pm and finally back to home. I took shower and did some homework after that, so sleep time was few hours most of days. In addition the time schedule was hard to me, I thought about my future was not unclear and got anxious every times. I felt I narrowed my future every time I got grades and ranked. I was always nervous. I wanted to talk to someone who understood how much I was tired of pressuring myself, but I felt that was ashamed. I did not say that because my classmates also had hard schedule. I could not talk to anyone. I felt like depressed everyday. I knew counseling will be help, but did not know how to access without being known my family and friends. Life is hard too now, but I feel more free to ask helps because I started living by myself in college. I have friends I can talk about it, and know there are counselors available in campus. Changing environment and get knowledge to help myself is good way to live better.
Interview
Q. Do you think how/why maintaining mental health is important?
A. Because it affects whole life. That is not only about mood. Depression cases trouble dealing with everyday life, studying,relationships, etc. It is possible to pretend doing well for short time, in my personal experience, but depression also damages physical, like drinking and smoking excessively to forget such feeling. Keep good mental health is important to stay healthy.
Q. Have you ever take counseling? Or thought about it?
A. Yes. Several times, I tried to take it in health center on campus, but I didn't. I feel awkward if someone in same major see me. I don't want close friends to behave too kind to me after they know I am taking mental counseling. I don't want to be seen sick. I will never use mental health center in the future because I want to keep current relationships with my friends. Visiting school health center is hard.
-Sumika Sato (no picture provided)
Call to Action
What can we do to help them or yourself? The one thing we can do is providing multiple resources. It can happen to everyone, but some people think they do not want to be seen by anyone. Because of that knowing many locations where counseling is available will encourage them to visit professionals.
I list two locations below:
In Cal State LA Campus
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
🖈Station 4 (2nd floor), Student Health Center
☎️ (323)343-3300
Support Groups and Workshops Schedule
Workshop Schedule (Fall2019)
More About Student Health Center
http://www.calstatela.edu/studenthealthcenter/caps
Outside Campus
Didi Hirsch mental health services (provides outpatient therapy for any ages. Psychiatric services and medication support)
🖈1540 East Colorado Street, Glendale, CA 91205
☎️818-244-7257
Online Depression Screening: Data and Statistics: Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mhanational.org/online-depression-screening-data-and-statistics.
MentalHealth.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.gov/.
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