ART 3170 Civic Engagement Project:
Mental Health
Definition :includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
Family history of mental health problems
Mental health problems are common but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.
Two most prevalent forms of mental illness are anxiety and depression.
Depression
Depressive disorder, frequently referred to simply as depression, is more than just feeling sad or going through a rough patch. It’s a serious mental health condition that requires understanding and medical care. Left untreated, depression can be devastating for those who have it and their families.
More than 17 million U.S. adults—over 7% of the population—had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. People of all ages and all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds experience depression, but it does affect some groups more than others.
Anxiety
We all experience anxiety. For example, speaking in front of a group can make us anxious, but that anxiety also motivates us to prepare and practice. Driving in heavy traffic is another common source of anxiety, but it helps keep us alert and cautious to avoid accidents. However, when feelings of intense fear and distress become overwhelming and prevent us from doing everyday activities, an anxiety disorder may be the cause.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States. Over 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) have an anxiety disorder. Meanwhile, approximately 7% of children aged 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year. Most people develop symptoms before age 21.
Why It Matters?
Growing up you really are not told how much important it is for you to take care of your mind. Almost regularly you are told to keep your body healthy and not do anything reckless. However when you feel sad or tired their is sometimes a stigma like oh maybe its just your attitude or you probably had a restless day. Usually when someone notices this they will usually just tell you to take a break and just get back into it. It works and yeah you feel yourself ready to continue but that's not a real solution. Because you come back to this feeling and just take a break. As I have grown up mental health has become an important idea for myself as I now understand that sometimes when I am feeling like this its just my mind giving me signs that I am not taking care of myself and letting stress and emotions get out of control in my life. Some of the warning signs that people go through have been changes in sleep, lack of concentration, and just lack of energy. When you think of symptoms like this its very easy to just dismiss it as your just being lazy or your lacking motivation and that was the mindset I had and didn't really think about other underlying issues.
What I had not known was that my Grandmother had suffered from depression when I was a baby, she was dealing with trauma after her youngest son was killed and that was causing the changes in her behavior. She was given medication and she was just living day by day. When I had gotten older I did not know about her depression until she ended up in the hospital as she was not taking care of herself because of the depression and we were told to keep an extra eyes on her. There was not really much talk about what we could do to help her as a matter of fact when my grandmother got help was when she was volunteering at my brothers elementary school and she would stay for workshops they provided for parents that one such workshop was on depression. She was able to see that she was not alone in dealing with this and was getting information on how to treat it. I remember she would talk to the family about what she had learned and would tell us to take care of ourselves. It would be a couple years later that my brother would be getting anxiety and my mom tried to get help from him but it was just difficult to find it, however when she told my grandmother she just went to ask the school and they started directing her to other people and finally were able to get him help. My grandmother would continue volunteering at the school even with her great grandchildren today and she is always on top of her workshops and continues to keep an eye on her grandchildren if they need help.
We all are usually more concerned with our physical well being and that is important but we cannot forget the mind. As that is much more harder to detect when something is wrong with it especially if you do not feel you have any support to what you are dealing with it. Today everyone is social distancing and that takes a toll on the mind as everything seem so closed in and its hard to really share your emotions and stress. However today with schools and almost every other form of social gathering is at a pause due to the current pandemic. I think this issue of mental health is very important as we are separated from people and the stress and anxiety is really getting to people today just being confined in their homes. I think its also easy for us to not really take into account of how we are feeling mentally. As the days go by the emotions may become harder but its important to deal with them and not let them overcome us. Even I sometimes feel like I do not have energy or just want to sleep in all day. I know though that I need to take care of myself mentally and sure others also looking for mental health.
Help
- Although social distancing is the new normal it does not mean that we are truly alone, especially with the use of technology in this time it may not be the same but its important to be in contact with someone. Many groups are even organizing virtual meetups for people to be together in this time.
- Also its important to be informed about the events going on but its better to take breaks from the news and not be listening to it 24/7.
- Do something you enjoy reading, drawing, painting, watching TV or movies, anything that you enjoy do that.
- Meditate and do breathing exercises
- Talk to someone or call a national help line like disaster distress helpline 1-800-985-5990
- Eat healthy and try to exercise
- If you yourself are not feeling like this its still important to call someone and check in on them and just see how they are doing.
Center For Disease Control and Prevention: Stress and Coping https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
National Alliance on Mental Illness https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression
National Institute of Mental Health https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml
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