Series on Mental Illness Present in Society

Mental illness is something very relevant in society today especially in teenagers. Approximately 9% of children from the ages of 2-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, 8% of teenagers aging 13-18 have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, 8% of teenagers from 12-17 have had major depression episodes, and 2.7% of teenagers from 13-18 suffer from eating disorders that can include bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating. The list of mental illnesses that can affect everyday life goes on and on.

Anxiety is something personal that the majority of people that experience it don’t want to speak about. We tend to overthink the smallest things that occur throughout the day or future events. As a high schooler, it can be something like walking through the hall to get to another class. This could even throw someone into a panic attack. You have absolutely no control over your mind and sometimes your body. It’s a struggle to wake up in the morning and an even bigger struggle to fall asleep at night. In public places it can be suffocating. Unfamiliar places are the most terrifying places to someone with anxiety. At some point it begins to affect daily tasks and activities that used to be enjoyable. You overthink going out with friends so you just avoid it. You overthink going to the mall or grocery shopping so you don’t go. Quiet places without a distraction can be even worse. There is no distraction unless you know how to deal with it. More times than not, teenagers don’t know how to deal with it so we go through it alone. We give you just enough information to keep you satisfied even if it means faking it and telling you we got through it. Anxiety can make you extremely unhealthy. It can make you nauseous so you quit eating and drinking water. Obviously we all know what happens when you stop taking care of yourself. You become weak physically along with being weak mentally. This makes it even harder to do any basic task such as taking a shower. Your grades start slipping and you lose things that are important to your success such as your friends. Now you realize you are completely by yourself in such a dark place that you are stuck in.

If someone is struggling with something, whether it be anxiety or not, try to understand and listen. If someone has come to you to speak about something that is bothering them and you told them to get over it, shame on you. That phrase can cause more problems than it can resolution. It’s a phrase than can make us insecure and think nobody will listen to us so we don’t open up to people. We create a wall in front of all our emotions because it hurts when someone says that to you. Have the decency to listen to someone even if you don’t understand what they’re talking about because eventually they may open up to you.

Check up on people and make sure they are okay. Even if it’s a quick call reassuring them that you are there for them. Don’t be ignorant and don’t expect the other person to tell you everything because it takes time.