MENTAL
ILLNESSES
LIVING WITH A MENTAL
ILLNESS DOESN'T ONLY EFFECT
THOSE WHO HAVE IT, BUT
ALSO THOSE AROUND THEM
"Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior."
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Just like how your body gets sick, you brain can get sick too, which is called a mental illness ("What is mental health"). There are many different types of mental illnesses including anxiety, bipolar, depression, and many more. Mental illnesses can change the way you act, think, or feel. Any person at any time can develop a mental illness. Children, adults, and everyone in between are all capable of developing a mental illness. Mental illnesses are very common in America and have an effect on not only those who have it, but also those around them.
What is a mental illness?
This video gives the viewer a perspective on what it's like to have a mental illness. It explains that what you see on the surface, isn't always what the person is actually feeling.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
ANXIETY
Bipolar disorder is "a mental illness marked by extreme mood swings from highs to lows and vice versa" ("Could it be bipolar"). There are two different types of bipolar disorder. Someone with Bipolar 1 "have manic or mixed episodes that last at least 7 days, or manic symptoms that are so extreme that the individual requires immediate hospital care. Bipolar 2 is four times more common than bipolar 1, this case of bipolar is harder to see, but just like bipolar 1, these people can become very manic or depressed. People who have bipolar tend to have random mood swings where they could be ecstatic and depressed at the same time. 1/3 of those who have a mental illness, never receive the help they really need ("Americans has firsthand experience"). Bipolar disorder can affect people at any age, adults and even children can get bipolar. Most people who have bipolar disorder where born with it, but you can also develop bipolar disorder thought your life too.
DEPRESSION
The definition of social anxiety is "the fear of social situations that involve interaction with other people, the fear of being negatively judged and evaluated by other people" ("Social Anxiety"). Social anxiety is the most common form of anxiety (Fawcett). In the article "Living with Social Anxiety Disorder" they talk about Angelo Andreatos, a 48 year old man who lives with social anxiety. In past years Angelo would stay locked in his house and wouldn’t even answer his phone, because his social anxiety had taken over. Many people who live with social anxiety continue to live a normal life, hiding the fact that they have a mental illness. Social anxiety can lead to panic attacks if the person who has anxiety is not careful in which situations they place themselves in.
Depression is a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant ("Depression in teens"). In the case of antidepressants, less than half of patients gain a benefit from the medication, which leads to over half of the patients discontinuing their medication after just six months "Americans has firsthand experience"). The amount of people with depression is a rapidly rising number. Depression can be a gateway to suicide. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in America, more than 90% of those who commit suicide have one or more mental disorders ("Mental illness facts and numbers"). Depression can be triggered by many different things such as a traumatic event, major changes to a persons life, and even for no reason at all. Depression doesn't just come when you are sitting in your room alone listing to sad music, it can hit you at any point in the day. You could be hanging out with your best friends having a great time and out of no where it hits you, a dark cloud that you feel it following you with every step you take. No matter who tries to help you cant just flip a switch and be happy again, it takes time for you to get back to your normal form of life.