Mental Illness

Richard J. Codey once said, “For too long we have swept the problems of mental illness under the carpet... and hoped that they would go away.” Many of us know one or more person that suffers from some type of mental illness. In America alone one in four adults, approximately 61.5million people, experiences a mental illness in a given year. – National Institute of Mental Health. Some of these illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Clinical Depression is the most common form of a mental illness and is also the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15 and up. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America,” it affects 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older.” That is about 18% of the world’s population. In contrast to normal sadness, clinical depression is more “long term”, and interferes with your daily life. It can come in numerous forms and severities. It can be caused by several different factors including a mix between your genetics, where you live, how your mind processes things, and even your past. It affects a person’s mood, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior. It often lowers people’s self-image and leaves them feeling alone and worthless. Some symptoms of depression include irritability, loss of interest in activities or hobbies you once enjoyed, thoughts of suicide, change in appearance, and loss of energy. Women are 70 percent more likely than men to experience depression during the course of their lifetimes. They believe this has to do with hormones and the fact the women are more likely to seek help and men are more likely to turn to drugs and alcohol. Thirty percent of all clinically depressed patients attempt suicide. There are over 38,000 suic...

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...ds, or school and think of how many are people suffering. Mental illnesses aren’t always easy to detect in yourself, or in others and these illnesses affect millions of lives every single day.

Works Cited

Anxiety and Depression Association of America Facts and Statistics, http://www.adaa.org/about- adaa/press-room/facts-statistics

DBS Alliance. Bipolar ism: Bipolar Lifestyles. Jul 23, 2012, from http://www.Statisticbrain .com /bipolar-disorder-statistics

National Institute of Mental Health. Statistics: Any Disorder Among Adults. March 5, 2013, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1ANYDIS_ADULT.shtml

National Institute of Mental Health. The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America. March 5, 2013, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml