Mental Health — A Silent Pandemic
How are you?
You don’t have to say you’re fine. It’s absolutely fine to say you are not. After all, it’s human to be not all right all the time.
It’s essential that we talk about it. We seek help when we break a bone; why don’t we do the same when our heart is broken? We take sick leave to nurse our physical health then why is taking time off for mental health unprofessional. We talk about conquering outer space, but we are losing a battle with our minds, it seems.
Why is mental health a taboo? It kills at least 800,000 people every year. Over 300 million people are suffering from depression, which’s almost equivalent to the entire population of the United States and twice the population of Russia. More people are suffering from depression today than the population of Germany, the UK, France, and Italy combined. Over 260 million people are living with anxiety disorders and there are people living with both.
Mental health is a silent pandemic it is killing us and we can stop it the first step is to start a conversation.
Celebrities and mental health
Don’t we all fancy celebrities, their lives look as perfect as their pictures they have everything it seems what many of us can only aspire to have someday; personal fitness coaches, personal chefs, personal hair and makeup artists, personal chauffeurs; there is someone taking care of everything for them, everything but mental health.
Meghan Markle recently spoke about her struggles with mental health about being depressed having suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy. These are highly stigmatized topics but celebrities have started testing the waters
They’ve triggered conversations from prime time television and newspaper headlines to dinner tables. Depression is becoming an issue people are talking about. A very interesting research shows that when a celebrity discloses his or her mental health problem, the number of people seeking mental health support goes up.
A celebrity disclosure serves three functions:
- It educates people
- It inspires people
- It also serves as activism of sorts
Long before Meghan Markle, another royal, spoke about her personal struggles in public, princess Diana in 1993 spoke about her battle with bulimia. Soon the number of women seeking treatment for bulimia doubled. This phenomenon was called the “Diana Effect”.
Here’s another study it found that when singer Demi Lovato spoke about her bipolar disorder, the people who had a higher celebrity attachment to her ended up having fewer negative stereotypes about those with bipolar disorder.
Such is the influence of a celebrity and such as their potential to bring about positive change. I understand that mental health struggles are very personal, and the choice to disclose them all the more comes with its own costs, but I urge them to talk about their mental health and use their influence to inspire people to seek help tell them that depression anxiety is not a taboo.
We live highly stressful lives there are deadlines at work, responsibilities at home, fleeting relationships, pressure to look a certain way on social media, and all of this is bound to take a toll on our mental health; and there’s nothing wrong in suffering from anxiety or depression, the problem begins when we hide it. Half of all mental illness begins at the age of 14. Most cases go undetected or untreated the result is this suicide, the leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds.
Let’s try to change this trend and understand mental health.
What is mental health?
It is our emotional health, our thought patterns, our mood. Mental health dictates our decisions and behavior.
Just like physical health, mental health also depends on certain factors.
- Genetics
British scientists studied 839 families and 971 pairs of siblings. In these families had severe recurrent major depression; they also had the chromosome 3p25-26. Now, scientists believe around 40 per cent of depression cases can be traced to a genetic link factor.
- Hormones
There is a hormone called serotonin; it is called the feel-good chemical. Serotonin’s role is to allow communication between brain neurons. Imbalance in serotonin has often been linked to depression factor. - Life Experiences
Traumatic life events are the biggest cause of anxiety and depression. - Family History
If a person grows around someone who is depressed he or she is more susceptible to depression.
Here are some of the early signs of mental health problems; eating too much or too little, sleeping too much or too little, distancing yourself from people or your usual activities, feeling low on energy, unexplained aches and pains, feeling a sense of helplessness or hopelessness, feeling on the edge all the time like you can break into tears any time or yell anytime extreme mood swings are also a sign of deteriorating mental health you may be hearing voices in your head having thoughts of harming yourself, daily chores like going to work or dropping your children to school or taking care of them may start feeling too taxing; there is nothing to be afraid of, all you need to do is reach out and seek help.
The journey to help may not be all that easy. There are few major hurdles in this battle to access mental health care.
The first hurdle is at home. Even today, most families do not understand the idea of mental health. Depression is mistaken as moodiness introversion. Depression or anxiety is also seen as something that can be treated over dinner or a vacation. Families don’t want to have a member who is visiting a life coach.
In china more than 91 percent of the people with mental disorders never seek help for their condition there are many who want to but they cannot.
There is also lack of human resources. We do not have enough specialists.
The next problem is expenses. Today mental health care is a luxury. An average session $100. in cities like new york or los angeles it jumps to 250 dollars per hour.
Mental wellness is a $121 billion market. It also needs to heal people. Mental health care can no longer be a luxury, and you can help in making it accessible. You know how by de-stigmatizing mental health, a healthy mind helps not just the individual but the entire society estimates from the world health organization show that depression and anxiety cost the global economy a trillion dollars every year.
So, let’s talk about it.
Let’s make mental health care accessible.
And let’s put an end to this silent pandemic.
You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.
If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.
