From a young age, most of us are taught to take good care of our bodies. Growing up in a Catholic household comprised of mainly women, I was always taught to cherish and care for my body. My grandmother would always tell me, "Drink milk so your bones are strong" or "cross your legs so people cant see what they shouldn't". Every woman in my family emphasized the importance of caring for my physical being; however, they rarely brought up the wellness of what I couldn't see. The only intangible health they worried about was that of my relationship with god. Anything outside of those parameters was left in the dust.
One of my earliest memories of my childhood was visiting my mother in a psychiatric hospital. At the time I was around six years old and had absolutely no clue what was going on. Looking back, I now know and understand what was happening. When I was young, my mother was diagnosed with manic bipolar disorder. She grew up in a large Hispanic family that had absolutely no understanding of mental illness whatsoever. As she grew older and her symptoms began to worsen, her mother and stepfather as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins, did their best to understand and manage her situation. She continued to struggle with her mental health throughout her life. Her manic episodes became a large part of my life as well as my sister’s and my grandparent’s. I learned early on how to manage her during an episode and how to recognize the signs of an oncoming episode, but I never truly understood anything about what she was struggling with. I was always told to leave my struggles and concerns in God's hands. Never did I get an explanation of what bipolar disorder was; I had no true understanding of anything regarding mental health. Looking back on my life its very clear where I began struggling with my own mental health.
In seventh grade I became very depressed. I lacked any healthy coping skills and had no clue how to manage the emotions I was experiencing. I assumed they were normal and just a part of growing up. I began self-harming. Hiding any and every emotion I possibly could, I began to cut my wrists, arms, and thighs. At this point I was also struggling with my body image. I began to develop disordered eating habits. For the next few years I continued to struggle, some days were easier than others. My junior year of high school was the breaking point. I had recently been diagnosed with severe bulimia, and I turned to alcohol as a form of coping. I was unknowingly dealing with clinical depression in addition to the bulimia and in April 2015 attempted suicide by overdose.
I spent seven nights in a pediatric psychiatric hospital. Though it definitely wasn't the highest point in my life, I learned how to manage my depression and bulimia; I was also taught how to cope with difficult points in my life. Though I’m I've grateful to be alive and know I've been blessed with a second chance at life, I can't help but wonder how things would have gone had I actually known more about the importance of mental health. So many of us Americans and people across the globe struggle with similar issues, but lack the understanding to properly manage. Mental health isn't something we can see. Unlike a broken bone, we cant always immediately experience or recognize the symptoms of when something is awry. In the united states alone, an average of 117 individuals take their life every day. Those are 117 people whose souls are gone from the earth. Those are 117 grieving families and friends. 117 lost goals and dreams unaccomplished. But how many of those 117 would actually be lost if we offered better resources for those struggling with mental illness? Think about it: how many lives could be saved if we taught about the importance of mental wellness in schools?
If we had a better understanding of what was going on within our minds, couldn't we have better chances of getting help when we need it? So many people don’t understand mental illness or any form of mental instability for that matter. they refrain from asking for help because they assume what they're experiencing is normal or will eventually pass. rather than reaching out, they become lost, confused, and trapped and this often results in tragic loss. The importance of mental health needs to start being recognized and emphasized in as many ways as possible. By simply teaching someone that what they're experiencing has a name and is one hundred percent a valid experience, we can aid so many struggling people. We can teach them not to prioritize a job over their mental health and to make the best decisions in their lives based on their physical and mental wellbeing.
