Knowing somebody who recently passed away can be heartbreaking. However, it gets more even distressing when the cause of death is entirely out of the natural. Dying because of suicide, overdose or something that is caused by the malfunction of one’s mental health or emotional instability is hard to accept.
Upon receiving news that someone I know just died, I would immediately go back to the time when that person and I was last together. I would recall if I was nice or mean to the person – did I call him names, did I invite him to parties or did I make fun of him in front of people. I ask myself these instances especially if that person is someone I know from high school. You see, high school is probably the toughest life stage for anyone. It is a time wherein bullying or indifference will be experienced. This is the make or break point of a person.
High school is a time wherein you get to identify yourself and your individuality even when in a group. This is also the time wherein friendships are developed, and personalities are strengthened. Thus, ideally, high school life should be well experienced so that the child would have this positive outlook towards life.
But as for me, just an example; I come to know that a friend from high school whom I have been mean to back then died by his hand. With that, I immediately feel guilty. It would also come to my mind that my being mean could have to do something with his troubles, his pain, his troubles, and his instability. The thought pains me terribly. And how I wished I could have helped him through whatever he has been suffering that made him do something terrible to himself.
Mental health problems in people are now growing exponentially. It is a phenomenon that can and will be experienced by anyone. And it has this significant probability that it can harm the affected person terribly. Susan Heitler, Ph.D. says that, “Like physical illness, mental illness mostly depends on whether or not someone can function at home and at work, and with or without pain.”
The common mental health illnesses that are being suffered by people are as follows: anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. In addition to that, there is a significant number of Americans who are affected by the aforementioned mental health conditions. However, despite the vulnerability of the people affected by the said conditions, still, others make fun of them and deliberately hurt the affected person physically and emotionally. However, kids will be kids, and they are unaware of what the other person is going through. All they know is that they are having fun and don’t see the impact of what they are doing to the other child. The look of mental health in distress cannot be seen sometimes, and this is what’s scary.
Mental illness chooses no one. It can affect a person regardless of your nationality, socioeconomic status, and gender. And it can also affect a person at any time, and it comes in with almost no clue. People affected with these problems hide it because they fear discrimination. They have this feeling that if other people get to know their condition, they will be picked at and be the center of criticisms.
However, this shouldn’t be the case. We should be very considerate of other people’s feelings. At least, be sensitive with what others are going through. We may not have the ability to tell if the person has anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia right away. Still, we have to be careful with how we treat them. To be safe, watch out what to say or do to other people as we don’t know what they are going through. Remember, you cannot see anxiety or depression in one’s face. Just try to picture yourself in the shoes of another who is suffering from a mental health issue. When in distress, you wouldn’t want others to trample on you, right? That’s one way to look at it.
People may have big smiles on their faces. They may look good and happy, but most people choose to hide their faces behind their fake smiles. Deep inside they are bleeding and screaming from psychological and emotional pain. Linda Esposito, LCSW acknowledges that, “Accumulating unhealthy thoughts takes a toll. Your mind is a mental battlefield, your days wasted with one psychological arm wrestle after another. Compounding the problem is physical exhaustion.” Yes, we are on a battlefield as we face the turmoil in this world every day. But in the case of the people who are suffering from mental health disorders, their battle has to do with their mind. In short, they are fighting against themselves which is the ultimate struggle.
With the daily challenges we face each day in this fast-paced world, our lifestyle is also formed accordingly. Konstantin Lukin, Ph. D. reminds that, “Taking note of when you are not feeling yourself can help you decide when self-care may be especially beneficial to avoiding burn out, or reaching a mental or physical state that would take you some time to recover from.” It is not a surprise if people would get into mental health problems and have a hard time coping. Mental health issues are not a thing that shouldn’t be messed around. It needs a complete understanding from the people and the right treatment to overcome the said condition. With this, no lives would be wasted because of mental health problems.