The Hidden Epidemic

The issue of mental illness is becoming an epidemic with no sign of stopping.

There is a disconnect between those who deal with mental health issues and those who don’t, while some cannot identify the illness within themselves. Both of these issues can be helped through more education on this topic, especially through better awareness brought to mental health issues in schools.

Mental illnesses have reached an all-time high, as anxiety and depression have become prevalent in this day and age, specifically within teenagers. One of the main issues is the lack of awareness that surrounds the issue, as it is not being taught to kids in the education system.

This has many negative effects: one of which is that, many times, they are unable to identify their issues, thus not getting the treatment they require. Teenagers often struggle with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, that can form during these years of development. Unfortunately, most deal with these struggles without knowing what is wrong, which can be dangerous.

For example, I struggled during my early teenage years, constantly lashing out at people and always feeling overwhelmed. I never knew what the cause of my struggles were, so I never did anything about them until things got worse. I’d heard of my sister struggling with similar problems so I decided to talk to my mom, finally able to get the help I needed. For me, this lack of knowledge hindered me from getting better, as I didn’t know what was wrong, having never talked or heard about mental illness.

This is why learning about it in school health curriculums is so essential, because it can allow others to be able to identify issues within themselves quickly and get the help they need. Due to a lack of information, many kids also don’t get the treatment for their conditions.

According to the 2015 Child Mind Institute Children’s Mental Health Report, “Anxiety and depression are treatable, but 80 percent of kids with a diagnosable anxiety disorder and 60 percent of kids with diagnosable depression are not getting treatment” (ADAA).

This education in school is crucial as it could help kids get necessary treatment. Since mental illness is a diagnosable condition, treatment is available, but awareness is necessary for those who require this treatment to get the help they need. Some may argue that mental health is not something that needs to be addressed in schools as it is something that is simply overdramatized in society, not an actual issue.

However, this is not true, as shown by studies proving that the brain can have chemical imbalances and that traumatic events in life can cause these illnesses to form in one’s body. One Stanford study stated, “rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and medical problems” (Stanford).

This proves that mental illness is not something that is simply made up, but it is rather a diagnosable illness. It is important to address the problem of mental illness, because it isn’t going to go away on its own.

Ways to help this epidemic also need to be implemented before it becomes out of control. The key piece missing from this solution equation is youth awareness of these issues; they are not being educated about mental illness, even though they themselves often struggle with these issues.

Thus, by adding a mental health unit focused specifically on anxiety and depression into high school health classes, a change for the better will start with this worldwide issue.