By Daniela Coria – Staff Writer
Mental health, a phrase that means a lot for many people. People handle different situations in various ways, and many people know loved ones who have suffered from mental health problems. If you are apart of the population that have poor mental health, just know you aren’t alone. Throughout the years it has become easier for people to come out and speak out about mental health. Celebrities have also been shedding light on this topic and sharing their experiences.
An advocate from the Wellness Center and senior from the Academy of Medical Arts, Mary Stevens, stated, “Teens and [young adults] have been affected by mental health, and [struggle] maintaining their mental health. In Carson we live around so many other minorities where they’re growing up in an environment that mental health isn’t really talked about.” She continues with, “In Filipino families, or in Latino families, they just shrug it off or they completely disregard it.”
It is a slippery slope when it comes to talking about mental health because people don’t really know how to word things in the right way, and at times, the people they confide in misinterpret their feelings. Some people are dismissive and excuse themselves with an excuse of feeling “uncomfortable” or describing the situation as “inappropriate”, but in reality, this only worsens their condition. In some cases, people might feel ashamed or feel hurt by these comments.
Psychiatric Social Worker (P.S.W), Ms.Aldana, from Academies of Education and Empowerment stated, “Every age group is affected. Though numbers show that the people who have a higher chance of being affected is childhood to twenty-four and they are in higher need of mental health services, they are the least likely to ask for help and the least likely to recognize that they need help.” Ms.Aldana then continued with, “A lot of people don’t know how to deal with it or who to go to for help or how to ask for that help. I also think that it’s important for people to be asking for help because we all in one point in our lives might struggle with some kind of mental health concern.”
In the past few years, it has been a bit easier to speak up about mental illness, not only because celebrities are talking more about mental health, but due to the fact that numerous people are losing their lives to it. Several have unknowingly gone down that path because they were scared to get help or didn’t know how to cope. A decent amount of people that have had or currently have poor mental health have encouraged others to speak up and seek help because they know they are not alone.
A senior from Carson High School, Kenneth Perez, stated, “Mental health can be very difficult to openly talk about. It’s hard to [put] emotions into words; sometimes you get mentally blocked due to fear and anxiety of what the outcome might be… that’s why suppressing it seems like a viable option [when it] really isn’t.” Perez then stated, “People do take mental health seriously, but they often only acknowledge the topic and then lose seriousness because they’re okay themselves, jokingly making fun until someone they know gets in harm’s way.”
If you yourself are dealing with or know someone who may be dealing with any kind of mental illness, don’t be afraid to reach out to a school counselor, a P.S.W or a teacher for help. Yes, it is going to be an uncomfortable topic to share and speak aloud, but the more you seek help the better it could get.
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