Roughly one in five people suffer from a mental illness: that constitutes about 20% of the population. Generalized Anxiety is the most common mental illness; however, only one in three adults showing symptoms will acquire treatment. Mental illness often comes with stigmas. Stigmas are negative connotations associated with a trait. When people hear that someone has a mental illness, they might think the person is “crazy” or “trying to get attention." Most of the time, that is not the case. Mental illnesses need to be treated just like a cold or the flu needs treatment. As we can glean from recent statistics, mental illnesses are not uncommon. A study from 2010 showed that 46% of adolescents felt that they had received prejudice from family members and 62% felt that they had received prejudice from peers when it came to their mental illness(es).
For years, people have neglected talking about mental illnesses because of the stigma surrounding them. I am not afraid to admit that I struggle with anxiety and depression, and have been put on escitalopram, which is an antidepressant that doubles as an anti-anxiety medication. I will admit that it took much longer than it should have for me to realize that I needed medication for these ailments. I didn’t want to be different or stand out, and for that reason, I stayed quiet and just tried to deal with it all on my own.
After a while, I realized that ignoring illnesses like these is one of the worst possible things to do. If someone is "sick" in the traditional sense, the person doesn’t hesitate to treat their disease. Why do people think differently when it comes to mental illnesses? Mental illnesses are diseases that affect our brain, which is one of the most vital organs in our body. In most cases, people are afraid to seek treatment because they'll be judged by others. It is sad, but that is just the type of society we are part of. In the United States, if you are different, you are weird. That shouldn’t be the case because it only creates more problems than it solves. There are also self-stigmas, however, such as thinking less of yourself because of your mental health.
According to NAMI, approximately 10.2 million people that struggle with mental health struggle with addiction, and 90% of suicides are related to an underlying mental illness. Nearly 60% of people struggling with mental health did not receive treatment in the past year. Imagine, if you will, your family member acting a bit different than usual. He or she is avoiding social situations, seems more tired than normal and has become moodier. There are a few ways you might go about dealing with this situation. One way is to ignore it. If you ignore it, the person will feel like no one cares and no one understands their feelings. Then the problems will likely get worse, which might result in addiction to alcohol or drugs, or even suicide. Another possible way to deal with the situation is to talk to the person and see if there is anything you can do to help them. If the person feels like someone cares, it might help them realize they are worthy of help. If that doesn’t work, and you think they are considering endangering their own life, you should reach out to a doctor to see what he or she can do to help. In the most dire of situations, call 911. If you try to reason with the person, but they ignore you and get worse to a point at which they are endangering themselves or others, get emergency help immediately.
Most of the time, mental illnesses (especially depression and anxiety, which are on the rise) are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. If you think you have a mental health issue, contact a doctor first. The doctor will perform a psychological exam in order to correctly diagnose the mental illness. From here, the doctor will most likely prescribe a medication and recommend therapy. Psychotherapy or “talk therapy" is what most people think of when they think of therapy. The patient goes into the therapist’s office or to talk about their life, explore their coping skills and find appropriate solutions.
Mental illnesses continue to play a major part in our everyday lives. We overlook the power they have over many of us. Having a mental illness should not make us feel different, but we feel abnormal because of fabricated social stigmas. The best way to stop this from happening is to become an advocate for mental health. If you have a diagnosed mental illness, don’t be afraid to help others that have a similar problem. If you know someone with a mental illness, don’t treat them differently for it. They are still a person and they still have feelings; if you treat someone with a mental illness differently, it will perpetuate these stigmas. We live in a world in which roughly one in five people have a diagnosed mental illness, but we also live in a world in which we are taught to frown upon those who are different. The only way to change this is to educate yourself and others about mental health and become an advocate.
