Mental health is a major problem across the globe and affects millions of people in their day to day life. Just in the United States, around 49,300 people commit suicide each year and is one of the leading reasons for death around the world.
Mental health matters just as much as physical health and should not be ignored as much as it is.
“I feel like mental health is equally important to physical health,” said Sophia Painter, a student from New Hartford. “Mental health can easily lead to poor physical health as well.”
You never really know what someone is going through: they could look happy on the outside but could be struggling on the inside. The people you least expect, family, or friends could be fighting a silent battle every day and you might not even know. This goes to show you should always treat people with kindness and respect no matter who they are.
“I think mental health is extremely important,” said Juliana Cracchiolo, a sophomore from New Hartford. “People could look ‘fine’ on the outside, but are having a really hard time mentally.”
It’s been debated for years: should students be allowed to miss school for mental health reasons?
In my opinion, I feel that students should be able to miss school due to mental health reasons. Students in school who struggle with mental health sometimes need a day to take care of themselves rather than waking up early and worrying about school work. Although people shouldn’t miss school for days or weeks at a time, it wouldn’t hurt to miss a day every so often.
Seasonal depression is a real thing people struggle with. It’s a type of depression connected to seasonal changes and starts around the fall and winter. It’s caused by lack of sunshine and bad weather. If you are one that struggles with this, you may feel sadness, have low energy, loss of interest in activities, increased sleep, gaining weight, and difficulty concentrating.
“Seasonal depression is real to some people,” said Brielle Laliberte, a student from New Hartford. “Some people love being in the sun and when the sun is barely out you don’t get your source with that.”
If you are someone that deals with mental health problems in their day to day life, look into getting a therapist. A therapist provides a safe, confidential space to share details about your life and express your feelings towards things. They can guide you to have a better understanding of things and heal from past trauma.
The suicide death rates really show how important mental health is. Worldwide more than 720,000 people lose their life to suicide yearly and most of those deaths come from people ages 15 to 29 years old. Suicide is more common in men but mental health is just important in women as it is in men. 720,000 is a large number of suicide deaths, and the suicide attempt rates are even higher. If this doesn’t show how important mental health is for people, I don’t know what will.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, the suicide hotline is a confidential and free for 24/7 care. When you call or text this number you will be provided with a trained counselor to talk to. The suicide hotline number is 988. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed to reach out and get help.
