29-Oct-23

A couple months ago, I started the 9th grade, the beginning of my journey through high school. I will say, it was a bit of an adjustment, but I think I’m getting the hang of it now. One of the courses I’m taking this year is Health Education, and I find it pretty interesting. We learn about all sorts of health related topics, much of which fall under public health. One such topic is Mental Illnesses/Disorders. Mental illnesses are defined as negative or unhelpful feelings and thoughts that become so severe that they interfere with our daily life. They’re common and treatable, and some factors that contribute to mental illnesses are genetic makeup, life experience and situations, and patterns of thinking and views of the world. Sometimes, events that occur before birth affect the risk of mental illnesses. For example, alcohol and drug use, poor nutrition, or trauma and complications during the pregnancy. A very common type of mental disorder is anxiety, which is an illness that evokes feelings of worry and dread. Some types include GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), social anxiety, panic disorder, and phobias. ADHD, a condition where someone has difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness, is another common mental disorder. It often develops in a person’s childhood, and continues throughout their adulthood. Gender can influence the symptoms of an ADHD patient. Males that have ADHD show frequent movement and physical aggression, while female ADHD patients show inattentiveness, daydreaming, low self-esteem, and verbal aggression. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is where a person has recurring thoughts that make it difficult to function daily, and they’re never satisfied with their compulsive behaviors. Some mood disorders that are commonly found in people are SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), Depression, and Bipolar disorder. One interesting disorder I learned about is called Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder, which is where people hallucinate and have delusions or irregular thoughts. This condition is found in 20% of homeless people. Another one I’ve seen constantly nowadays, especially in people my age, is Substance Use and Addiction. People repeatedly use substances and repeat behaviors that lead to health issues. They use these to think they’ll cope with stress, but in reality, it only worsens the stress. There are five stages of substance use: Experimentation, regular use, tolerance, dependence, and addiction. A lot of mentally ill patients seek help to help cope with their problems. Some signs that you should seek help are if you’re feeling sad, angry, not yourself, constantly stressed, worried, if you’re having trouble paying attention, sitting still, or staying organized, if you’re using substances or food to cope, if you’re experiencing a serious loss or traumatic event, if you’re unable to do things you once enjoyed, or if you’re engaging in self-harm. If you’re trying to seek help for a mental illness, a common remedy is therapy. Therapy is a treatment method that changes the way a person thinks, interprets information behaves, and experiences or expresses their emotions. Some types of therapy include individual therapy, family therapy, or a support group. People also use mental health medications, which are substances that reduce symptoms of mental illness. Researchers believe that it’s the most effective medication, and a person using them is usually monitored by health professionals due to the potential side effects. Inpatient treatment occurs at a clinic or hospital, and it’s only used when people are at a serious risk of harming themselves or others. I really enjoy this field of public health, since I see it happen all around me and I want to learn more and more; this topic really fascinates me.