Mental health is one’s psychological, emotional and social well being. While some may define mental health as a small category, in reality there are many different aspects to it. Each and every one of these aspects affect students across the district. There are a wide variety of mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Each of these disorders belong to clusters, which expand into many other types of disorders.
No matter what, mental health affects everyone at some point in their life. As this is an aspect of everyone’s life, it is extremely important to recognize and treat these disorders when affected by them. While this may seem like the obvious thing to do, it is a lot more complicated than it may seem.
In today’s world, there is a negative stigma surrounding the idea of mental health disorders. It can make people who are affected by these illnesses feel inferior and weak, often causing people to feel ashamed of themselves if they are affected by poor mental health. This promotes individuals to keep their problems to themselves and repress their emotions, which creates more problems that can potentially be more intense.
In order to promote overall well being, it is important to normalize mental health and the conversations that it brings. By normalizing these discussions about mental health, it can foster a more caring and promising environment, making it less likely for people to keep these issues to themselves and suffer in silence.
“I think mental health awareness is important because it reduces stigma and shows students where they can seek help and support for their mental health,” Cameron Stumpf (9) said.
Becoming aware of mental health is extremely vital in order to thrive not only through school but in life itself. While school and other activities cause stress that can affect one’s mental health for the worse, it is important to remember that help is readily available at all times. Speaking up and getting help is the most effective and important way to help not only oneself but others as well. Mental health can be a silent killer if not treated with urgency.
“Because people who struggle with mental health disorders often feel alone, they think they are the only person dealing with what they are going through,” Caroline Bender (9) said. “Spreading awareness tells those people that it is normal to be struggling and they are not alone, as there is always a way out.”
Raising awareness for mental health is an effort that has been pushed for years and it will continue to be pushed until it has been normalized. Hearing people out and understanding where they are coming from reduces the chance of these mental health disorders becoming detrimental.
In a perfect society, mental health would be prioritized, rather than looked down upon. There are still ways to promote these aspects in today’s world. It is important to remember that everybody struggles in their own ways and it is never a bad idea to reach out and get help.