“Mental Crisis: Contagious or Figment of Imagination” by Sebastian R
The definition of mental illness is a person’s condition concerning their psychological and emotional well-being. There are many different types of mental illnesses and they each affect a person in different ways. Certain illnesses are more common in either more developed or currently developing countries. Each country around the world is affected differently by mental illness. Mental health has been an issue for people for a very long time. In early history, it was not as documented as it is in modern times. Mental illness does not only affect certain types of people it affects all people in one way or another. It seems to spread almost contagiously because of the rise in mental health issues quite recently. Not only in the United States, known for its variety of cultures and freedoms, but all around the globe. This raises questions. Is the spreading of mental illness just a figment of imagination in the way it spreads or is it truly contagious?
The term ‘mental health’ was not popularised until the 1900s. Mental health patients in the 1930’s were treated in various ways. These later gave into psychotherapy in the 1940s and then later by the 1950’s it gave way to extreme treatments, such as shock therapy. The way doctors treat mental health patients has changed in recent decades. Doctors have started using different types of drugs to help patients, even though most of these drugs have their side-effects. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, people diagnosed with mental health issues increased very significantly. This was partly because it was more documented in more recent years. Now in modern times, with the increase in medical technologies mental illness and it’s treatments have grown and so have the people that are “affected” by it.
Mental illness affects a lot of people in the world today. An example of this is the United States. The figure below shows how the U.S. measures up to the world on mental illness. It does not only affect people that have the illness, but also the people around them. From personal experience on the internet, many teens suffer from what people call “fake depression”. This is when teens act like their lives are horrible and think that they suffer from a mental illness. This not only degrades people that have these diseases, but it is also morally wrong. All these teens or adults want is attention and until they get it they will continue living this charade. However, some people do have mental illnesses and should be tended to immediately. People suffering from this might think it is normal if other people their age say that they have the same illness. This is why mental illness seems as if it spreads contagiously. It is just a social construct, people just want to fit in and they use mental illness as a way to be part of a group.
On a worldwide scale in developing and developed countries in modern times it seems that more developed countries have a higher rate of mental illness or mental health issues. A well-developed country such as the United States according to Rubina Kapil, www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org, 46.4% of the adult population has or has had a type of mental illness. In lesser developed countries like Uganda, they do not have the medicine or access to social media like in the US. This correlates with their low mental health issues. They do not have as many common issues as in more developed countries. Issues in less developed countries are like depression and Even on Google when you look up “What types of mental illnesses” the suggested search says “ are going around”. People act like its contagious and that it can be spread through contact. This is just a figment of everyone’s imagination, that mental health is contagious when it is a serious matter. It just seems contagious because people are looking to belong and it spreads via social media.
In conclusion, there is no real solution to fix mental illness. What would help is people going to the doctor and getting diagnosed. If someone truly believes that they have a mental illness they should go and get help. However, mental health around the world is slowly declining and people act like it is okay to have some sort of mental issue. It has been socially acceptable to have and be associated with mental illness. If people do not go out and enjoy life and try to have the best outlook on life that they can, the mental crisis around the globe will never get better.
“5 Surprising Mental Health Statistics.” Mental Health First Aid, 6 Feb. 2019, www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2019/02/5-surprising-mental-health-statistics/.
Kopinak, Janice Katherine. “Mental Health in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunities in Introducing Western Mental Health System in Uganda.” International Journal of MCH and AIDS,
Global Health and Education Projects, Inc, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4948168/.
Mathews, Cheryl. “Anxiety Disorder Statistics.” AnxietyHub, 2 Dec. 2017, anxietyhub.org/anxiety-disorder-statistics/.
“Mental Health.” World Bank, www.worldbank.org/en/topic/mental-health.
“NAMI.” NAMI, www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers.
Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Mental Health.” Our World in Data, 20 Jan. 2018, ourworldindata.org/mental-health.
Silberner, Joanne. “Report: World Support For Mental Health Care Is 'Pitifully Small'.” NPR, NPR, 15 Oct. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/10/15/656669752/report-world-support-for-mental-health-care-is-pitifully-small.
State. “1930-1950 New Treatments.” 1930-1950: New Treatments, www.sos.mo.gov/archives/exhibits/quest/treatment/1930-1950.
The term ‘mental health’ was not popularised until the 1900s. Mental health patients in the 1930’s were treated in various ways. These later gave into psychotherapy in the 1940s and then later by the 1950’s it gave way to extreme treatments, such as shock therapy. The way doctors treat mental health patients has changed in recent decades. Doctors have started using different types of drugs to help patients, even though most of these drugs have their side-effects. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, people diagnosed with mental health issues increased very significantly. This was partly because it was more documented in more recent years. Now in modern times, with the increase in medical technologies mental illness and it’s treatments have grown and so have the people that are “affected” by it.
Mental illness affects a lot of people in the world today. An example of this is the United States. The figure below shows how the U.S. measures up to the world on mental illness. It does not only affect people that have the illness, but also the people around them. From personal experience on the internet, many teens suffer from what people call “fake depression”. This is when teens act like their lives are horrible and think that they suffer from a mental illness. This not only degrades people that have these diseases, but it is also morally wrong. All these teens or adults want is attention and until they get it they will continue living this charade. However, some people do have mental illnesses and should be tended to immediately. People suffering from this might think it is normal if other people their age say that they have the same illness. This is why mental illness seems as if it spreads contagiously. It is just a social construct, people just want to fit in and they use mental illness as a way to be part of a group.
On a worldwide scale in developing and developed countries in modern times it seems that more developed countries have a higher rate of mental illness or mental health issues. A well-developed country such as the United States according to Rubina Kapil, www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org, 46.4% of the adult population has or has had a type of mental illness. In lesser developed countries like Uganda, they do not have the medicine or access to social media like in the US. This correlates with their low mental health issues. They do not have as many common issues as in more developed countries. Issues in less developed countries are like depression and Even on Google when you look up “What types of mental illnesses” the suggested search says “ are going around”. People act like its contagious and that it can be spread through contact. This is just a figment of everyone’s imagination, that mental health is contagious when it is a serious matter. It just seems contagious because people are looking to belong and it spreads via social media.
In conclusion, there is no real solution to fix mental illness. What would help is people going to the doctor and getting diagnosed. If someone truly believes that they have a mental illness they should go and get help. However, mental health around the world is slowly declining and people act like it is okay to have some sort of mental issue. It has been socially acceptable to have and be associated with mental illness. If people do not go out and enjoy life and try to have the best outlook on life that they can, the mental crisis around the globe will never get better.
Work Cited
Kopinak, Janice Katherine. “Mental Health in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunities in Introducing Western Mental Health System in Uganda.” International Journal of MCH and AIDS,
Global Health and Education Projects, Inc, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4948168/.
Mathews, Cheryl. “Anxiety Disorder Statistics.” AnxietyHub, 2 Dec. 2017, anxietyhub.org/anxiety-disorder-statistics/.
“Mental Health.” World Bank, www.worldbank.org/en/topic/mental-health.
“NAMI.” NAMI, www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers.
Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Mental Health.” Our World in Data, 20 Jan. 2018, ourworldindata.org/mental-health.
Silberner, Joanne. “Report: World Support For Mental Health Care Is 'Pitifully Small'.” NPR, NPR, 15 Oct. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/10/15/656669752/report-world-support-for-mental-health-care-is-pitifully-small.
State. “1930-1950 New Treatments.” 1930-1950: New Treatments, www.sos.mo.gov/archives/exhibits/quest/treatment/1930-1950.
I have mixed feelings about mental illnesses. On one hand there are many people that actually have a serious problem, but on the other there are a lot of people that have the so called "fake depression". I feel that the main way to fix all of this would be to encourage people to actually diagnosed and for people to not act like they have problems so they can fit in.
ReplyDeleteI believe "fake depression" is a thing. Certain teens and adults thrive off of the attention of having a metal illness will give them. I heavily discourage faking a mental illness because true mental illnesses are real and can be life threatening in some cases. The main way to fix this would to not be appropriating having an illness by faking one for attention, but by encouraging the people that truly suffer from one to receive help and get diagnosed.
ReplyDeleteMental health is a big subject for me. I know many people who have been affected by or are affected by mental illness, and I agree that there are many people who like to put on an act for attention. I think part of this is that many teens and millennials do not know how to deal with bad situations, and then dig themselves into a whole of negativity. It may be the mindset of negativity that is contagious, not the actual mental disorders.
ReplyDeleteI believe there are a lot of people with mental issues but I also say the fake depression is true and affects everyone around them. If a person actually has a mental illness they may not feel it as such a big problem and continue to go one without any help or support. I also agree with Gabby that it is more of a mindset of negativity that is contagious.
ReplyDeleteI believe that "fake depression" is real. I think it is a bad thing and it downplays people with real mental illness. I feel like you should be diagnosed with something before you have the right to claim you have an illness. I don't believe that mental disorders are contagious, but I do think its a way of thinking that is contagious.
ReplyDeleteI think that fake depression is real, but it can be hard to differentiate real from fake. I also think that it causes people with actual depression not to be taken as seriously as it should be, and I really don't think that mental illnesses are taken very seriously anyways with some people. I think that fake mental illness very dangerously downplays it more that it is already downplayed.
ReplyDeleteMental illness is something that seems to be very prevalent today. Fake depression is definitely a real thing and any sort of mental illness is not something to be taken lightly. Fake depression I think could definitely lead to real depression, and for that reason it is just as bad.
ReplyDeleteThis blog saddens me. Fake depression does not lead to real depression. Fake flu doesn't lead to real flu, does it? If someone gets real depression, they realize that the "depression" they had was fake, though. I really agree with the negative mindset being contagious. Surrounging yourself with positive people makes you more positive and the same for negative people. Real depression isn't something to joke around with. Fake depression leads to people not being able to tell who is really depressed, which can make people more likely to commit suicide because no one even realizes they're depressed.
ReplyDelete