The Growth of Mental Health Awareness
June 2, 2021
Jonathan Tick contributed to this post.
As we close off celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month this May, it’s important to look back at how poor mental health has impacted the lives of the people who suffer from it, as well as the strides being taken to help those who suffer from its negative effects.
Mental Health Statistics and Effects
An article from the World Health Organization (WHO) at the beginning of 2020 states that 264 million people worldwide suffer from some form of moderate to severe depression, which can affect a myriad of day-to-day activities.
In the same article, WHO states that depression can lead to many disruptive behaviors or habits, such as depressive episodes that can disrupt appetite and sleep, as well as anxiety symptoms and a loss of interest or energy which can take days or sometimes weeks to recover from. As a result, many aspects of a person’s life, like work and sleep quality, can be affected negatively by the presence of ailing mental health and can potentially cause the problems to compound the longer these impairments remain.
Therapy and Other Forms of Help
To combat these issues, many forms of therapy and other treatments have been used to treat individuals suffering from a variety of degrees of struggling mental health. The most common of which is a form of psychotherapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which sees the patient talking through a variety of personal issues or concerns with a therapist, who works with them to identify any problematic behaviors and replace them with more positive ways of thinking.
Other methods include prescription medications, which can be used to reduce certain symptoms so other forms of treatment can be more effective. Medications such as antidepressants correct certain parts of brain chemistry since certain brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin affect how we feel pleasure and how stable our mood is respectively. Which, if such chemicals were left imbalanced, can potentially hinder a person’s ability to function normally.
As a result of the variety of treatment options, the findings of the CDC stated that in 2019, 19.2% of all adults in the US received some form of therapy, with psychotherapy and other non-medicated forms of treatment being more popular with adults between the ages of 18-44.
Conclusion
Despite that, overall mental health is still worsening at an increasing rate, as currently 9.7% of youths in America are suffering from forms of depression, increasing from 9.2% the previous year. And with this comes major challenges such as a shortage of accessible centers to go to, or an increased out-of-pocket cost that becomes too difficult for some families to afford.
By raising awareness and promoting access to mental health professionals, the possibility of helping those who suffer alone becomes more possible, and the quality of life for those affected can improve. As someone who has been through my own share of episodes and treatments, I can say from my own experience that it feels nice to be in a better headspace that’s become more positive than negative.
If you wish to learn more, visit the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) or the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to see how you can get involved with spreading mental health awareness.
