Discussing Mental Health Issues

You may be familiar with the words "You need to get over it" or "It's just your hormones" or even "Don't be so dramatic, you'll be fine tomorrow." If you have, it's more than likely that it was from somebody who doesn't understand what having a mental health condition means and they need to be educated about it.

Many people have recently begun to discuss their mental health issues and why they're important, but there are still so many people who are clueless and even believe that it's a load of nonsense. Here's the truth. Your life is determined by the condition of your mental health and not everyone realizes that. This has been an issue that every single person has faced at one point in their life, whether they were born with it, or whether they had a low point in their life when they became anxious due to a negative situation that they went through. It has always been around, but no one used to discuss it as people were even more unaware about it than they are now and so if they felt depressed, they thought they were just upset and carried on with their lives as if nothing was wrong. It's likely that many people do not discuss their mental health as they are afraid of what they do not understand and although it can be challenging to understand, we cannot ignore it because of the negative times that people go through in their lives.

The Human Mind

Humans are strange creatures, but our brains in particular are even more absurd. We are able to create scenarios in our heads without experiencing them and we can see the memories that we have from our childhood, but mental health issues are difficult to pinpoint. A mixture of environmental and genetic factors can cause these issues and although we can use medication to get rid of the symptoms, we cannot completely rid ourselves of these conditions as the mind is such a complex object. An interesting thing that not many people know about is that you can either develop a condition or be born with it. If your mother or father has depression, there is a chance you will also develop depression. However, if you have a traumatizing experience at some point in your life and you are susceptible, then you can develop things like anxiety which can prevent you from living your life the way that you did before. Being susceptible basically means that you are likely to be harmed by a particular thing, it could even be something as simple as stressing about your job.

Understanding Conditions

Things such as depression and anxiety can go so far as to cause people to self-harm or even commit suicide. Along with anxiety, depression can be experienced in different forms and people can react differently to it. Some people may hardly ever be happy and will feel like they have no hope and never will but some people may continue with their lives and experience their depression at different times. An upsetting thing that can happen as a result of a mental health condition can be self-harm. The methods of self-harm and the reasons behind it can vary depending on the person. One person may cut themselves because they believe that they should be punished as they feel as if they are not good enough and deserve the pain. Whereas another person may starve themselves as they may feel numb due to their condition and so starving themselves makes them feel some kind of emotion, even if it's a bad one. People may question why others harm themselves or how they are able to do that to themselves, but it is likely that these people have not experienced the mental turmoil that other people have.

Things That Society Should Discuss More

One particular issue that is hardly ever spoken about is men's mental health. Typically, men are supposed to be seen as 'masculine' which means that they cannot show a tiny amount of sadness, as only women can do that. What a load of crap. Men cry too. Men experience the same problems that women do, their brains are no different to women's, so why do they apparently not get upset? In 2015 there were 6,639 suicides in the UK and Republic of Ireland and this continues to grow each year. The highest rate of suicide in the UK for men was 40-44 and the reason for that may be due to the fact that they were brought up to be 'real men' and not to show their emotions.

How to Help Yourself

Mental health is extremely important for people to be able to live their life the way that they want to, it is extremely similar to physical health. If we are physically healthy, then we will feel mentally healthy due to endorphins interacting with the receptors in our brain to make us feel good, so why do people put their mental health to the side and attempt to ignore it? The key word here is attempt. Attempting to ignore issues that you cannot prevent within your mind is useless, you may be able to put it off, but it will always come back. This can result in people feeling as if there is no hope for them and it won't get better but there are things you can do to become hopeful for the future instead of anxious. Surrounding yourself with people who only make you happy and cause no malice in your life will seriously help you to forget about your problems. Sounds typical I know, who doesn't want to surround themselves with real, positive people? But sometimes people do not realize that certain people can make them feel worse and it is probably best to cut them out and instead replace them with people who you know will be there for you no matter what.

Discussing your feelings with someone you deeply trust can seriously help as the old saying goes "A problem shared is a problem halved." In this situation, it may not exactly be halved but it will certainly lift a weight off your chest and make you feel less isolated. If that person you trust does not understand how you feel the way you do or the reasons behind it, explain it to them. If they care about you they will do anything they can to help you and attempt to understand your emotions.

How to Help Others

If you know someone with a condition or someone who is worried about their health, it is more important to be there for them than to encourage them to see a professional. If you show your concern for their well-being, even if it's just by checking in on them every now and then, they will feel better in some way or other. If you know someone and you just 'leave them to it' this can be the worst thing. Loneliness can only cause more negative thoughts to run through their head and could result in something terrible to happen. Please look after them if you truly believe you care about them. They may not check up on you all the time, but that may be because they feel as if they cannot speak to you as you dismiss their concerns or do not show an interest in their well being.