What Is Mental Health Awareness?
Mental
health awareness helps educate the public at large. It teaches them that it is
okay to share experiences, vulnerabilities, and shared concerns about mental
health issues. Reducing the stigma which has been attached to mental health
will help countless others. Consequently, they will understand that mental
illness can be treated. Awareness raises the number of people who get help.
Anyone who deals with their own mental health problems benefits from awareness.
This includes those suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder,
and more. Breaking the stigma will allow more people to reach out for help when
they feel alone, isolated and desperate.
Why Mental Health Awareness Is Important
Conversations
promoting mental health awareness are the foundation for leaving the stigma in
the past. Educating yourself and others concerning the different aspects of
mental health has many benefits. It keeps you on top of your own concerns. In
addition, it reinforces support for friends, colleagues, and family who may be
experiencing their own mental illness. Many people don’t know how to talk about
it. Awareness raises their ability to open up and speak. Mental health
awareness is important to help you understand your own symptoms. You learn that
it’s okay to reach out for help. You can start by addressing your concerns with
your physician. Sharing your experiences with others gives them the opportunity
to offer their support. As well, they may speak up about their own issues. This
allows you to provide support and encouragement to them. Awareness is
definitely a two-way street.
What Mental Health Disorders Need More
Awareness
All mental
health disorders benefit from receiving awareness. However, some are less
familiar than others. People still make jokes and take lightly the severity of
these mental health disorders. This can cause damage to those who suffer.
Joking about mental health carries on the old stigmas mental health awareness
tries to dispel. Causing people to suffer in silence only carries on the
negativity stigma pushes on people who are struggling. Some of the less
understood mental illnesses include:
·
Bipolar Disorder: formerly
known as manic-depressive illness or manic depression, bipolar disorder has
three different types. This disorder causes difficult shifts in mood, energy,
concentration, and the disrupts the ability to take care of daily
responsibilities
·
Anxiety: Several types of anxiety
disorders exist. They all begin with the same problem of having
overwhelming fear and anxiety that rules your life. Anxiety is so extreme it affects
work, relationships, school, and life in general. Panic disorder, phobias, and
social phobias all belong to the family of anxiety disorders.
·
Substance Use Disorder: These
disorders indicate recurrent and abusive use of alcohol and drugs. People often
use them to self-medicate symptoms of mental illness. In fact, about half of
people who have a mental illness also deal with addiction to
drugs or alcohol.
·
Depression: This disorder is a
mood disorder. Too often, people mistake it for being the blues or just a bad
mood. The symptoms can become so extreme that they interfere with life and the
ability to carry out regular responsibilities.
How Mental Health Awareness Can Break the
Stigma
Breaking
the stigma is why mental health awareness is important in today’s world.
Knowing you are not alone when experiencing a mental illness is encouraging and
leads to strength and commitment in getting treatment for relief of symptoms.
Millions of people in the world are dealing with symptoms of a mental illness
and having support is crucial in recovery. No longer are people hiding in the
shadows, ashamed to speak out and say that they are overly anxious, depressed,
or have phobias. People are not considered crazy, mental, or losing their minds
when they break the stigma and speak out on mental health.
