I woke up in a hospital bed, with my arms tied down and a plastic mask covering my face. I was connected to a cardiac monitor, oxygen, an IV. I saw my mother sitting in a chair next to me, tears spilling from her eyes.“Oh shit,” are the first words that come out of my mouth followed by “I’m so sorry, I’m really sorry.” She’s too relieved that I’m breathing again to be angry with me. As I regained consciousness, I pieced together what had happened that night. In the midst of a severe depressive episode, I turned to alcohol to cope. I tried to drink my pain and loneliness away and ended up nearly killing myself. My younger sister, only nine years old at the time, had found me on my bedroom floor, unconscious and lying in my own vomit. This was only the beginning of my problems with substance abuse, only one example of the impact that mental illness has had on my life. …show more content…
I’ve coped through using drugs and alcohol, self-harmed, been suicidal, and abused my body in so many ways but after almost eight years of this I am still here and I am thriving. Despite my mental illness, I am on track to become the best version of myself, whoever she may be. I’m currently on medical leave from college, receiving intensive treatment that I’ve needed for so many years. Taking time off from school was difficult for me financially and emotionally, but it was the best decision I could have made for my long-term well-being. If you had asked me a year ago where I thought I would be now, I probably would have said dead. I never thought I would make it this far, but today I’m in treatment, I have a good job, I’m taking online courses, and I’m repairing relationships with my family and friends. I’ve developed resilience in the face of adversity, and I am finally moving on to greater
Underage drinking is a critical issue which can lead to severe consequences. These consequences have the potential to haunt someone throughout his or her life and lead to an unfortunate outcome for everyone involved. It is not uncommon that those in stressful circumstances turn to drinking as a therapeutic solution to their problems. Although many may think alcohol is a remedy to the everyday stressors of life, the results of actions taken while under the influence can be detrimental. In Brenda’s life, these everyday stressors include the relationship with her mother and the movement of her family to Westport, New York. In Vivian Vande Velde’s “Drop by Drop,” the adversity within Brenda’s family dynamic contributes
Reading this I remembered, that I heard in AA meetings people referred to alcohol as their best friend, who is reliable and present. In case of Caroline’s mother death, she turned to her drink for the support and comfort, in the manner of a child who is afraid to be without a favorite blanket or a teddy bear. “Protect me. Shield me from being alone in my own head”, those thoughts were racing in her mind as she increased her daily alcohol intake after her parent’s death. Knapp got sober two years after, and it was sad for me (and I am sure for Caroline, too) to realize that her parents never have seen her daughter free from the addiction, never will have quality time with them and a brand new relationship that they could have been built if Caroline would not have been
I was born in a small town of -----------of underdeveloped country of Bangladesh. I grew up speaking Bengali, wore traditional clothes, created intricate henna designs on women’s hands, and performed classical Bengali music. Since childhood, thought other than becoming a doctor never registered in my mind. My high grades in high school helped me to obtain admission in one of the most desirable place to learn Medicine, Mayemen Medical College.
From the individual perspective, the client was a victim of child abuse, which led to feelings of fear and sadness and a desire to avoid these emotions. Socially, she came from a family of alcoholics giving her easy availability. There was also the pressure of keeping up appearances due to her mother’s status in society. The initial individual consequences of the client’s alcohol use were reinforcing. She felt invincible, warm, and it helped her avoid the thoughts in her head. Everything was right with the world as long as she was intoxicated.
There are so many types of mental illnesses that affect people every day. When some people think of mental illnesses they think of the ones that would cause people to have physical symptoms as well, but that’s untrue, there are many more that you would never know anyone has if you were to see them on the street. As defined by the 2008 encyclopedia “a mental illness is any disease of the mind or brain that seriously affects a person’s ability or behavior. Symptoms of a mental illness may include extreme moods, such as excessive sadness or anxiety, or a decreased ability to think clearly or remember well.” A mentally ill person has severe symptoms that damage the person’s ability to function in everyday activities and situations. Every nation and every economic level can be affected by a mental illness. In the United States alone about 3% of the population has severe mental illness and to add to that number about 40% of people will experience a type of mental illness at least once in their lives. Some cases of mental illnesses can go away on their own, but some cases are so severe that they require professional treatment. There is so much more available to help people recover from their symptoms than in the past.
Mental health illness affects 26.2 % of the United states adults ages 18 and up. That is 1 in 4 people as of 2004 ("The Number"). Mental health illness does affect over a quarter of the United states population to include me as one of the people who suffer from it. This has affected me and changed my life drastically. Aside from the difficulties of having a mental health illness is how people react to me once they find out. This is widely due to mass media creating a stigma for the mental health ill people that most of the general population tend to believe in the United states.
Janice Lloyd, health reporter for USA Today, states that of the 45.9 million people who reported having a mental illness, only 39.2 percent of those people said they received treatment. With those statistics, it calculates out to be that 27,907,200 people did not receive the proper care that they need. There could be a wide range of reasons why people did not receive treatment, but a large reason is the stigma behind mental illness. It causes the people struggling with a mental illness to be embarrassed of their disorder; sadly, I was one of them. I felt ashamed to admit to my friends and family about my depression because I was deeply afraid of how they might view me differently. After experiencing those type of feelings, it made me realize
“When I was 13, my dad started drinking more and more. Every day he would come home from work and have beer, lots of it. I didn’t think much of it at first, but then he started getting more angry and violent. He would shout at my mom and me. It was like my father had gone and been replaced with another guy” says an anonymous kid who lives with an alcoholic parent in “How my dad’s drinking problem almost destroyed my family”. The kid depicts that he is so confused, angry and upset especially when his father got fired for going to work drunk. This is one of many children’s voices who suffers having an alcoholic in their family. Most of them are depressed because alcohol has destroyed their family. This is an addiction that does
Mental Health is an issue that millions of individuals are facing here in the United States. Illnesses such as anxiety and panic attacks, borderline personality disorder, drug and alcohol addiction, and depression affect the lives of so many.
Health is a complex concept, and when we talk about health we refer to body health and to the health of the mind, the health of relationships between us and those around us, the spiritual health. Looking online on one of the additional resources recommended, www.nimh.nih.gov, I have noticed that one of the symptoms of most diseases that affect a person's mental health is lack of sleep. Lack of sleep not only worsens man's mental health, but also causes serious imbalances in metabolism, immunity, general mood, and last but not least, affects the ability of learning and memorizing among students. The sleep fulfills a number of vital functions for both our mind and body. We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, which is a valuable and useful
I fought a war with myself and I am so proud to say that I am still standing here today due to my perseverance. I recognize that depression was a significant part in my life that shaped who I am now. I know that because of it, I am more careful in the words choose, I pick up on emotions easily, I know how to console people, and the list goes on. Despite depression being a major part of my identity for 15 years, I am proud to say that I am journeying through my life finding who I am without it. I plan to do all the things I said I couldn’t: Graduate high school, get my college diploma, find a job, and find my
The mental health assessment is a crucial part in everyday nursing care as it evaluates an individual’s mental condition to assess for risk factors of mental illnesses and provide optimal care and treatment. Mental health is described as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (CDC) If the patient not mentally healthy, they can develop mentally illnesses, which can affect treatment and the disease process of physical ailments because without mental health a person cannot be completely healthy. “Suicide Risk Assessment in High Risk Adolescents” is a nursing article that outlines suicide risk factors and prevention strategies for assist nurses in performing mental health assessments. Suicide, the act of
It had come to the attention of my family that I had some sort of psychological problem and something had to be done. I was always labeled as a shy and quiet kid, and like my family I had thought nothing more of my behavior. However, now it had become something more obvious. I had told my parents the kinds of problems I was having. Basically I didn't want to talk to anyone or to be anywhere near anyone I didn't know. I didn't really want to leave my house for any reason for fear that I might have to talk to someone. I was so critical and scrutinizing in relation to myself that I couldn't even enter into a conversation. Everyone seems to have a part of themselves that lends itself to thoughts of pessimism and failure, but mine was something that was in the forefront of my mind at all times. Something telling me that everything I did was a failure, and that anything I ever did would not succeed. Through discussion with my family it was decided that I should move out of my parents house to a place where I could find treatment and get a job. I was to reside with my sister Lisa, her partner Brynn, and their Saint Bernard in Greensboro.
Mental health is just as important as physical health in a person’s life. Mental health is critical to a person’s well-being, their ability to live a productive life and to keep a healthy family and interpersonal relationships. Mental health does not just affect the mind it also affects people’s physical health. Some physical health diseases can cause a mental health disorder and vice versa. Mental health disorders are associated with the occurrence, development, and outcome of some of the today’s most chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. When people go untreated from a mental health disorder are at a higher risk for many unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, violent behavior, and suicide.
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several