Mental Health is a severe issue, not a modern social media trend!

It is no secret that we use words like crazy, retarded, slow, or even depressed casually as if these are some common conditions. The word depression alone is used breezily as if it is “cool” to be depressed. People have made a trend out of serious mental health issues that require genuine attention.

However, on the contrary, it is not fair to even overlook continuous feelings of sadness and thoughts which may revolve around suicide or self-mutilation. Being sad for a day or two over something unfortunate that occurred in your life or due to mood swings is normal, but when the feelings of gloom continue to persist, that is when you require stern aid.

There’s a common misconception that has been going around that depression occurs only in adults, especially those who are working professionals, who are overburdened or stressed about catastrophes in their lives. That, however, is not an appropriate piece of information. Mental health issues see no age, no gender, no boundaries at all. Anyone regardless of how old they are or what situation they are in could be prey to mental health issues.

Studies show that adolescents have high rates of suffering through some form of mental health condition. WHO says that one in seven children aged between 10 and 19 is likely to suffer from some mental health issue. Suicide seems to be the 5th biggest cause of death in people of this category.

Adults often tell teenagers that the feelings of angst and distress that they have been feeling are nothing but basic hormonal changes in their bodies due to teenage. Even though this could be true on some level, one cannot rely completely on this idea. Teenagers are as much at risk of suffering from mental health disorders as adults and even children.

People are always quoting things like “Why are you depressed, your life is perfectly smooth, you have no problems” Depression and other mental health issues are mostly not even a product of external atrocities. More often than not, they exist in the roots of your childhood memories. Once a traumatized child, now a depressed adult! Unresolved childhood trauma can cause more harm than you can think; common acts that can lead to childhood trauma are being mistreated by your parents/family members, being bullied, or being abandoned, to name a few.

In situations where we get to encounter someone with mental health disorders, it is our responsibility to treat them with utmost patience and even affection, if required. Our behavior toward a person suffering from any type of mental health condition should not be too divergent from someone who has been diagnosed with cancer. They are both serious medical conditions as they both require serious attention and assistance.

Keep a check on your friends now and then asking how they are doing mentally; provide them the right kind of support and space to open up and further seek help. In a world where people are kinder, mental health conditions will become a matter of yesterday.

#mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #healthcare #worldmentalhealthday #worldmentalhealthday2022 #