Why should I care about my Mental Health?
Mental Health Matters. Here’s Why.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) categorizes mental illness under two broad categories; Any Mental Illness (AMI) which encompasses all recognized mental illnesses of varying severity from no functional impairment to serious functional impairment, and Serious Mental Illness (SMI) which is a smaller subset of AMI, encompassing serious functional impairment¹.
In 2019, nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States experienced some form of mental illness (AMI), of which less than 10% suffered serious conditions (SMI). Less than 50% of adults with AMI received treatment. Of those that suffered from serious mental conditions, a little over 50% received treatment.
A cultural perspective of Mental Health
In ancient times, some cultures regarded mental illness as a religious punishment or demonic possession². Due to stigmatization and fear of inviting shame and criticism upon the family, mentally ill people were often confined to the home or kept in asylums with little or no treatment.
In the United States today, serious mental illnesses are given more importance and a lot (thought not nearly enough) is being done by the government, by employers, by individuals and their families, to treat these conditions. The harsh, ancient perspective on mental health however, has carried on into the modern day, causing resistance and denial when it comes to acknowledging and treating milder conditions like depression, stress, anxiety and other everyday challenges faced by highly functional individuals. These are the conditions that are more widespread and affect a larger number of people.
Why do we treat our minds so differently from our bodies?
We brush our teeth twice a day and teach our kids to do the same. We get regular dental checkups and visit our primary care physician once a year to make sure we’re in good health and discover issues early enough to treat and manage it. We eat a health diet, exercise and stay active as much as possible, because we know that ignoring these things can result in undesirable consequences.
Yet we ignore our feelings of dullness, periods of low motivation, and extreme fluctuations between ups and downs. We overlook our kids’ immersion into social media, television and video games and write it off as being “the things kids are into these days”. We deny the social anxiety and insecurities they experience as they grow into teenagers. We dismiss their cry for help when it manifests in stubborn, belligerent , indifferent and sometimes self destructive behavior. We lie to ourselves and learn how to cope, without recognizing that one day it could blow up in our faces and suddenly find ourselves in a place with no explanation as to how we got there.
Why do we treat our minds so differently? Why do we ignore it until it turns into more severe mental conditions or manifests in physical illnesses?
Why does Mental Health Matter?
Our character is formed at conception and shaped by the environments we are raised in and exposed to. We take on the characteristics of our parents, we get impacted by their behavior and the behavior of those around us. In turn, our behavior impacts everyone we come in contact with throughout our lives.
We have a responsibility to ourselves, to our society, and to generations that follow, to care for our mental health as much as we care for our physical health.
Something to reflect upon
Who do you interact with the most? Who could be impacted by your mental state of mind, your behavior and your emotions? How are you impacted by the mental state of mind, behavior and emotions of others?
Treat yourself better. Pay attention to who you are and how you feel. Spend more time with your kids and look beyond what you see. The internet abounds in self help and mental health resources, the library is full of books. It can get overwhelming to take this journey alone; start it anyway. When it gets too much, get a professional to accompany you. Your mental health impacts you, the people you care about and those who in some way, contribute to your existence. We need to progress towards a safer, more productive society. Our minds control and regulate our bodies — But we have the ultimate control over the choices we make.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mental Health has been extremely hard for adults and kids to manage. It has been equally hard on mental health practitioners. Mental health insurance though accessible to many, is still a challenging maze to navigate — both for people who are looking to find the right fit in their therapist, as well as for therapists who have to take a severe pay cut to provide services through an insurance panel.
We are working on finding a solution to this problem.
If you would like to learn more or help us learn more about the problem, please sign up here — https://forms.gle/RR49GJ4FvEJv2SVG7
