Our Mental Health consists of our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how a person may think, feel and act towards any situation. It also determines how a person may react under stress, relate to others and make choices. Mental Health is very important from early childhood to adolescence, all the way through to adulthood. This topic hits close to home as I have experienced a mental illness and I know it’s a struggle.

In this blog I will be talking about the amount of mental health problems in Australia and the amount of untreated cases.

There are many risk factors for having a mental illness. Having one can lead to severe emotional, behavioural and physical health problems. If left untreated, it can also lead to financial and legal problems that could cause more psychological damage. The person suffering from the illness will be greatly affected by what is going on inside their heads and around them. What that person might experience is unhappiness & decreased enjoyment in life, their immune systems will be weaker and they will isolate themselves from social situations.

Families of the person, who is mentally ill, need support and help too. There is often a ripple affect on the family and friends of the mentally ill person. Some parents, brothers or sisters go into full time carer for their psychologically challenged relative. Different members of the family will be affected in different ways. I think that its good parents or siblings are willing to go into full time carer for their sick child, brother or sister.  

When you have a mental illness you learn that you don’t need loads of friends, you only need yourself and a couple of close mates. You also learn how to love yourself and become your own best friend. Treating your body right, eating healthy, getting enough sleep and seeing someone about your insecurities and problems are just a few of the positive things you can do to help yourself. A person with a mental illness needs to know that there are people there that care about them. When we are first diagnosed we tend to turn all our attention towards our physical and mental health. We also learn to embrace change and understand empathy on a deeper level- the ability to put oneself into another’s shoes. Anyone that recovers from a mental illness like depression, anxiety disorders or eating disorders, lead a healthier and happier life. They would have learnt through their treatment to appreciate life. When you’ve fallen so deep into darkness and fought your way back up into life, waking up and feeling okay is now valued, while it once was the end of the world.

Back in the early 20^th century, mental illnesses were said to be horrid and if you had one you were crazy. Those who were mentally challenged would be sent to an asylum or any institution that is similar, to live away from the rest of society while they are going through their treatment. These institutions were seen to be places of treatment where specialised care was given, but also a place of segregation and isolation. Now it is somewhat okay to have a mental illness. There are many services for anyone that needs help. People’s voices are now being heard and more have an understanding of what we call an illness of the brain.

Depression is a very serious illness, and the death rates are increasing in Australia and worldwide. Untreated depression is a leading cause of suicide and substance abuse. The suicide rate is six times higher among men of the age 85 and over, than the general population. Over 15 percent of people take their own lives due to depression. Workplaces suffer also as their workers are more likely to be less productive and have more sick days than the average worker. This causes loss of money and loss of production. Substance use is also at a high rate and can lead to a serious case of depression. Restricting services to those in need could push the problem on to other parts of the system, for example; emergency services or jails.

One in five Australians between the ages of 16-85 years will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives.

In conclusion, I think Mental Illness is a serious topic that needs to be targeted and even more understanding is needed. There needs to be more suicide awareness worldwide, I hope to see schools helping those in need of assistance with the battles in their minds. It’s funny to think that in the early 20^th century it was bad to have a mental illness, and now its somewhat okay because there are services out there to help. As a society we can pull together to help those out there who need it and not judge them or cause them any more troubles than they already have.