Understanding Mental Health
Mental health is important because it can affect others in ways that people may not realize. It can change a person’s whole life, from grades dropping to drug abuse. It is deeper than just “being sad” or “having anxiety.” The effects of mental health can change the whole trajectory of one’s life. It can follow them into their adult lives and lead to a lifelong path of unhealthy choices.
In a study by the National Institute of Mental Health, it was found that people with mental disorders use substances as a form of medication. Although these self-soothing tactics may help one feel temporarily relieved, they could worsen the person’s mental and health problems. This type of self-neglect usually is not realized by the person because they may feel like they are helping themselves, therefore increasing the possibility to keep using these substances. So here we can see how mental health can lead to unhealthy substance abuse.
Mental health can also decrease the academic performance of students academically. In a 2015 survey by the American College Health Association, college students shared the following mental health issues that negatively impacted their academic performance within the last 12 months:
- Stress (30% of students).
- Anxiety (22%).
- Sleep difficulties (20%).
- Depression (14%).
In total, that’s 86% of college students whose performance has significantly dropped due to their mental health which could lead to them possibly having to retake certain classes or even dropping out. But the question is what are the root of these problems? Where do they even begin? Well, there are a wide range of factors that can lead to these issues.
- Social disadvantage, poverty, or debt.
- Experiencing discrimination and stigma, including racism.
- >ack of sleep.
- Unemployment or losing your job.
- Bereavement (losing someone close to you).
- Poor housing or being homeless.
How does discrimination affect health?
These are just a few factors that can lead to these mental issues and some of these things are out of human control. Amongst these factors of mental health issues, one of them is experiencing discrimination. In a study by AM J Public Health, it was found that one of two races was proven to have the most depression; African Americans. The discrimination of African Americans is something that they have been fighting against for a long time. This can be tiresome and cause feelings of isolation for the community as a whole.
The discrimination of African Americans can also lead to them not getting certain jobs, and not having certain jobs can lead to not being able to pay for the things that they need which goes back to the factors of social disadvantage, poverty or debt, and unemployment. So discrimination is bigger than just discrimination it can lead to a whole world of mental health problems, decreased academic performance, and substance abuse.
The Impact of Social Media
Social Media is another impactful factor when it comes to mental issues. Humans use technology every day of their lives, Especially teenagers. It can expose young teens to harmful content that affects their perception of themselves and their mental. Recently, families have been suing social media companies over the huge impact that it has made on their children.
Social media has become addicting for children and adults and last month, the mayor even addressed social media as an “environmental toxin.”
The usage of social media has also taken away from basic human interaction and has led people to interact more through a screen rather than in real life, even if they are in the same space. Social media also has certain individuals who portray a certain image so they may seemingly have a “perfect” or “better” life than most.
This can cause other individuals who see these “perfect” images to believe that they also have to be perfect and have a good life This can cause depression, with others constantly comparing themselves or feeling like they are not enough can have a huge impact on how they feel about themselves.
Social media can also cause severe isolation for humans. Humans often become so intrigued and connected to their phones that they don’t have time to make any real-life connections with other people. Which they may not realize until the day social media has come to an end. Or even the day that social media gets taken away from them.
Written By Deshawnna Hillard
Sources
CNN Business: New York City sues social media platforms over youth mental health crisis
American College Health Association: Survey
Mind: Mental health problems – an introduction
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Inset Image Courtesy of Blogtrepreneur’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
