Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is our ability to think, feel, and act as we cope with our daily lives. Additionally, it affects how we handle stress and how we relate to others, as well as how we make choices. The importance of mental health cannot be overstated, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.
Currently, we all know about it, but in the past, most people ignored it, and our society became too comfortable ignoring all the symptoms until they could no longer hide from them. Decades, if not centuries, passed, and the problems around the world kept getting worse, crime rates rising globally, homicides, sexual assaults, you name the crime, it's increased up dramatically.
The problem is that we never took mental health seriously, and instead of tackling the root of the problem, we usually used radical solutions. The reality is that most issues today stem from the same problem issue; the unstoppable shootings, alcoholism, crimes against women, and most crimes happening are the result of a mental disorder that has gone wrong. It is not uncommon for us to judge someone who is going through a horrible time and believe they will never experience those things ourselves, until they do, and we are unable to cope with those things until they do, leaving us to hide under the sad act of improvising, which can go really well or very badly. It would have been better to have been aware of those things before they happened, so the chances of success would definitely be higher than the chances of a case going awry.
Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry, life experiences, such as trauma or abuse, family history of mental health problems, and your lifestyle, such as diet, physical activity, and substance use, can all affect your mental health. The use of relaxation techniques, meditation, and gratitude can also help improve your mental health.
Your mental health may change over time if you are dealing with a difficult situation, such as managing a chronic illness, caring for a sick relative, or facing financial difficulties. This can worsen your mental health as the situation wears you out and overwhelms your ability to cope. Therapy can, however, improve your mental health if you take steps to do so, such as using meditation, relaxation techniques, and gratitude exercises.
It only takes one instance after too many for a person to act out when they feel the world has been unfair to them, they have been exploited, and others have been severely bullied. It isn't an excuse, but a fact; we seldom wonder what happened to the aggressor before they did that act, because that's all it is, a desperate act to draw someone's attention. Occasionally, a person thinks they can insult someone without consequence, but that person responds in a violent and completely wrong way. My point is not to say that the offense is justified, but it is at least possible to understand it better. Many times, the aggressor is provoked somehow by someone who thinks he can get away with something, and then he or she encounters a person who has reached a mental crisis and just can't take it anymore, causing chaos. Nobody should assume they can insult someone without consequence, because that "someone" may not be the best person to pick, and may have a response to your insult.
These same people needed help long ago, probably in their childhood and adolescence, but they were never addressed until there were fatal consequences.
Don't be ashamed of asking for counselling or admitting that you are sick, the sooner you see the truth and accept help, the better off you will be.
Whatever the cause, whether we are born with mental disorders or if we experience something during our lives, we will all suffer from a mild to severe mental disorder at some point in our lives, depending on the experience and how it affects us internally. If the problem is not taken seriously, it will only get worse and we will soon see the consequences. Because of this, I strongly recommend you get help, for yourself or for someone else. If you are aware that someone is having a difficult time, or if you feel that you are experiencing mental or behavioral problems, seek help before it is too late, because everything has a solution except death. Fix it before it destroys something or someone.
The outbreaks of any disease happen every few years, but severe pandemics happen much less frequently. A big pandemic usually occurs about once every century, and I am referring to pandemics that can severely devastate a community. Recently, we experienced the covid 19 pandemic, which was devastating and forced the entire world to isolate and segregate. Injecting new levels of craziness into people.
Mental disorders permeated the entire world until they were unable to hide anymore. During and after the pandemic, the damage was just accumulating until it finally exploded.
Many households in the past tried to hide mental disorders for a long time in order to avoid professional help, and sometimes even made people feel embarrassed whenever they sought assistance. It's clear our parents did the best they could, and I don't blame them, but we have to put greater effort into making sure we understand our children a little better.
When we combine our ignorance as parents and humans with the fact that kids are now exposed to materialistic views of life, we have a recipe for disaster. Also, kids are exposed to social media and the internet, where they talk about having a beautiful appearance on the outside, without taking into account a person's inner self and mind. They are deprived of the perspective of how to be better internally instead of externally.
People are heavily influenced by social media because they use it most of the time. In order for our kids to pick appropriate content, we need to guide them in a better direction. In today's world, everything is so accessible to children that parents do not know what they're seeing or hearing or talking about. This happens not only in social media but also in school, where a lot of things are discussed. The parents have no idea what's going on. We live in a world where people value what they can purchase, rather than what they think and what they value, and it's going to be extremely difficult to climb out of this hole, but I believe that it starts with the families. All of us need to help our families be better if we want to move in a better direction globally. It will be hard to get parents to focus on the right direction instead of just looking at material things and the beauty of the outside. However, it is not impossible if we start with baby steps and eventually we will be in a much better position.
Regardless of their age, ask your family members about their daily lives, forget about material things, ask them about their friends, ask them about their emotions, and ask them how they feel. You should not be afraid to discuss these topics with your family because at the end of the day we all rely on each other one way or another and there is nothing better than your family helping you become a better person. Some people are selfish and just look out for themselves and their own interests. We need to be better friends and neighbors and just generally better people.
Right now you even see kids committing escalating acts of violence and that's because in a way we have forced our younger generations to live and experience life in a faster way than before, I understand that in the past it was easier to maybe hide reality from our kids, and now with exposure to everything everywhere is alot harder, but it shouldn't be that difficult if we keep an open line of communication with them.
Mental illnesses are characterized by changes in sleep and eating habits, worries or fears that seem out of proportion, disregarding personal grooming and hygiene, changes in sexual drive, disorganized or confused thoughts, excessive anger, drug or alcohol abuse, unexplained physical illnesses, ideas that do not match reality, seeing or hearing things that others cannot, or thinking about suicide. In case you recognize any of these symptoms in yourself or someone else, please do something about it, we have been quiet for a long time and you may be able to save a life.
Mental disorders are real, and we can still do something about them, so please keep your eyes open and stay aware of what may be going on around you.
If you think you have a mental health problem, get help, and if you know someone with a mental disorder but has not sought help, talk to them and see if you can steer them in the right direction before it's too late. Medications and talk therapy are both effective ways to treat mental disorders. For more information, call your primary care provider or the National Mental Health Hotline at (866) 903-3787 or Mental Health America at (800) 969-6642.