I know I tend to do goofy or light-hearted posts most weeks because sometimes we’re dealing with a lot of things going on in the world. This week, I wanted to focus on a slightly more serious subject. Mental Health.
A subject that, in recent times, has become more important and more common.
Personally, I have struggled with mental health for about eight years now. Only three of those years were spent getting help.
Mental health is something that tends to be either completely avoided or completely embraced. This is a very strange line to walk because you never know how a person might react.
In recent years, mental health has become a less taboo subject and more people have admitted to struggling with mental illness. These can include depression, anxiety, ADHD, ADD, etc.
Although people struggle with these different types on a daily basis, some still decide to want to put down people with mental illness. This manifests itself in many forms; unfortunately, it’s more likely that older generations don’t understand some of the struggles younger generations are going through today.
A huge thing that still bothers me today is the fact that mental illness is not considered as valid as other, more physical illnesses. I hear a lot of “oh, well your organs aren’t failing” or “it’s not a physical problem.”
These people seem to forget that the brain is indeed an organ. It’s a part of your body that can be failing you and even though it can’t be seen from the outside, it’s still a very real problem.
Mental illnesses are caused by brain abnormalities such as chemical imbalances, stressors, and even your genetics can cause mental illness. People don’t choose to be mentally ill.
It’s not something you wake up and decide you’re going to do. However, many people self-diagnose, which poses problems in the mental health community.
Mental health is not something we can pretend to have or glorify like many do. This is a serious problem for some and can even lead to their hospitalization or death. In fact, some statistics indicate that one in five Americans suffer from some form of mental illness.
Mental health is no joke and, frankly, it needs to be talked about more, taken seriously and seen as a real problem.
Some resources available for anyone struggling with mental health issues; the Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357), or local counseling services.
Kierstyn Budz can be contacted at (email protected) or 217-581-2812.
