THE ESSENTIALS OF

MENTAL
HEALTH
A guide for young adults

Vijaya Dutt
with review by Amy Morrison, psychiatric PA
 INTRODUCTION

Mental illness is a topic that will never become

irrelevant. 43.8 million adults in the US will
experience mental illness every year. Suicide, the
common result of poor mental health, is the 10th
leading cause of death for all ages, but it jumps up
to the 3rd leading cause for young adults. Just like
how everyone should take care of their physical
health to not get sick, the mind needs just as much
attention.

Knowing this, we can assume that everyone in

today’s world will have to interact with someone
who is affected by a mental illness. Even you might
have to face the effects of mental illness yourself,
so it is important to educate yourself now.

In order to create a stronger and more supportive

community, we must first educate ourselves on the
basics of mental illnesses. These articles are meant
to provide an overview of common mental illnesses
so that readers can correctly discuss these illnesses
and interact with those who are affected by them in
a positive way.
 REMEMBER THAT...

You can not “fix” someone else’s mental illness.

However, you can act as a support system for your
loved ones by understanding their situation.
Become informed on what their illness is, and then
stay available to listen and support them. Remain
respectful and try to understand what they may be
going through. If necessary, talk to a trusted adult
or seek professional help.

If you yourself are affected, you can reach out to

those around you or to community resources for
support. As you would with others, consider seeking
help from a professional. This can help you to learn
how to live with your illness.

If neither you nor those around you are affected by

a mental illness, this information may still help you
in the future. The advice on maintaining emotional
health applies to all people as well.
 DEPRESSION

Feeling "depressed" can mean being unhappy for a

short period of time. Clinical depression, in contrast,
is an intense mood disorder where feelings of
sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with
everyday life for several weeks or longer. This
illness can cause changes in appetite, lack of
pleasure in previously fun activities, and feelings of
guilt or self-hate that can lead to thoughts of
suicide.

Because depression can often lead to suicide, it is

incredibly important to take it seriously. Make sure
to contact a mental health professional for yourself
or for others if you notice that these symptoms
start to get in the way of everyday functioning.

Make it a priority to seek help if you or those

around you experience any suicidal thoughts.
The National Suicide Prevention hotline is 1-800-
273-8255 and other contacts are listed at the end
of this pamphlet in the resources section.
 ANXIETY

Anxiety is a combination of worry and unease

towards an uncertain event in the future. It can
present itself in certain situations or persist
throughout most situations. Let's look at some of
the different ways that anxiety affects people.

1. GENERALIZED ANXIETY
DISORDER
Generalized anxiety disorder is understood as
consistent unrealistic worry over a period of at
least six months about everyday occurrences. Those
who are diagnosed with this illness experience the
symptoms we usually associate with anxiety:
restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability,
tension and headaches, fatigue, and even
personality changes like becoming less social.

This illness is more common among older people,

but it is important to seek help once the the
symptoms first begin to present themselves. This
often makes treatment shorter and more successful.
 2. PANIC DISORDER

Panic disorder is the diagnosis for those who have

recurrent panic attacks and as a result fear the
possibility of future attacks. Panic attacks are
intense periods of fear that last for a short time.
Panic attacks can be either expected and triggered
by a known fear or they can be unexpected and
occur seemingly out of the blue. During a panic
attack, people will experience sudden fear,
numbness or tingling, and the feeling of being
detached from the world, among other symptoms.

If someone near you has a panic attack, remain calm

and ask them if you can help by giving them their
medication or going through breathing exercises.

3. OCD
OCD is often used casually to describe being picky,
but people who actually have Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder find hours of their day spent
acting upon unreasonable thoughts and fears
through ritualistic behaviors, causing difficulties
with everyday functioning.
 4. SOCIAL ANXIETY
This type of anxiety stems from the fear of being
judged in a social or performance situation. Rather
than just being shy, social anxiety causes individuals
to worry about situations where they might
embarrass themselves. Because of so intensely
worrying about the situation beforehand, these
people will ultimately avoid the situation altogether.

To see improvement, many people with social

anxiety really need encouragement and help to
retrain their negative mindset towards social
interactions, although medication can help as well.

BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar people switch between dramatic "high"
states and low, depressive states. The change
between these is not regular and sometimes years
pass without symptoms, making the disorder highly
varied from person to person.

Bipolar disorder has actually been linked to

individuals who experience depression in younger
years. Just something to keep in mind!
 ADHD
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most
common psychological disorder among children, but
it also affects many adults. Those affected by
ADHD have trouble staying focused and is easily
distracted (inattention), make decisions without
thinking (impulsivity), and/or move around more
than normal (hyperactivity). These symptoms can
present themselves at different severities.

Because of these symptoms, especially with a

thought process that jumps around as well as risky
and careless actions, those affected may find it hard
to get along with others and they are much more
likely to be involved in life-threatening accidents.
ADHD will also cause problems with falling asleep
and result in a restless night.
 MEDICATION VS THERAPY
Mental illnesses are caused by a combination of
environmental and biological factors. As such,
treatment should be approached with strategies to
target both areas.

Therapy is most important for those affected by

mental illness to come up with solutions to handle
their illnesses. Ultimately, by teaching new ways to
handle situations, therapy allows for people to gain
more control over how their illnesses impact their
lives while affected by an illness.

Medication is a pivotal player in treatment. Mental

illnesses have roots in dysfunctional biological
processes in the brain, so medication is able to help
fix these imbalances. Especially for people with
more severe or long-term illnesses, medication is
important to reduce symptoms, manage emotions,
and prevent relapses of a mental illness.
 EMOTIONAL HEALTH
Even for people who do not have a mental illness, it
is important to be able to handle both positive and
negative emotions healthily. By utilizing some
general tips to improve your emotional health and
build your resiliency in order to come back from
difficult events, you can become more successful,
confident, motivated, and, of course, happy.

By the way: if none of these changes to your

lifestyle can improve your emotional health, try
contacting a professional counselor or psychologist,
or even a psychiatrist depending on the severity and
duration of your symptoms.
EMOTIONAL HEALTH CONT.
Social connections: Reach out and share your
problems with someone who is a good listener
Stay active: Physical health helps mental health,
and by focusing on the repetitive motions or
exercise rather than nagging thoughts, you can
regain focus and feel more in control.
Practice mindfulness meditation: This technique
teaches you to confront stressful events by
focusing on your situation without reacting
negatively. Try using Headspace, Calm, or
Meditation Studio which offer voice guidance.
Manage stress: Reduce your stress using any of
the infinite ways you know or by cutting off
some commitments.
Keep a brain-healthy diet: The food you eat can
affect your energy and mood greatly, so try
skipping the extra sugar or fried food.
Ensure quality sleep: Besides fatigue, lack of
sleep can cause a depressed mood and inability
to handle stress.
Find meaning and purpose: By finding meaning
and purpose in things you do everyday, you can
benefit from increased motivation.
 STIGMA
Mental health stigma is composed of two aspects:
outsiders showing prejudice and discrimination
towards a person with an illness and the person
who receives this treatment internalizing those
negative reactions towards themselves and their
illness. Stigma causes those who are affected by
illnesses to feel shame and not go for treatment.
Some people may even begin to self-harm because
of the intense feelings of shame. Even if these
people are brave enough to attempt treatment,
stigma often causes poor results.

These false beliefs are spread through

representations in media and long-held ignorance
towards the actual biological, genetic, and
environmental causes of mental illnesses. From here
on, with the help of the growing amount of
educational resources available, we should
recognize these false ideas and overcome them.
This will make all the difference in creating a better
community with all of those around us.
 CONTACT RESOURCES
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call call the
National Suicide Prevention hotline: 1-800-273-
8255
Talk online with a counselor at Lifeline Chat:
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
Chat with crisis centers: Lifeline Crisis Chat: Visit
www.crisischat.org/
Another crisis text line: Visit
www.crisistextline.org/ or Text “START” to 741-
741
For more crisis resources try visiting:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-
help/index.shtml and
https://www.adolescenthealth.org/Resources/Cl
inical-Care-Resources/Mental-Health/Mental-
Health-Resources-For-Adolesc.aspx
For Frisco ISD community resources see:
http://www.friscoisd.org/departments/guidance
-and-counseling/home and
http://www.friscoisd.org/docs/default-
source/in-home-parent-
training/communityresourceguide2013.pdf?
sfvrsn=2
 REFERENCES
For a full list of websites I have referenced for
information, as well as more detailed information on
each of these disorders, please visit my website at
vijayadutt.weebly.com or scan the QR code below.

Thanks for reading!