Sourced Based Essay

The topic of Mental Health has always been interesting to me and it wasn’t until I personally struggled with mental health problems that I realized how many people do also but they don’t have the proper support system or they don’t have an outlet so that they can talk to someone. I believe that in today’s world, mental health issues are becoming more common but there is still a percentage of people that hide their problems for whatever reason, for me it was my culture. My family comes from Mexico and both of my parents grew up there in the 70s but the societal structure and beliefs that they were taught are crazy if looked at from today’s perspective. My father is someone I look up to but I’ve noticed that he struggles to express emotion and it seems to have taken a toll on him and he tends to shy away from speaking about certain topics. My father grew up in a time where a male could not show emotions, where no one could come home and say “I have depression and I want to speak to a Therapist”. This in my culture was and is still viewed as Taboo, our cultural make up was not very open minded on these kinds of things and the younger generation suffers because they get scared of what reaction they will get and for that reason they choose not to speak to anyone about mental issues. It was a very scary moment for me just recently I found myself in a state of depression of feeling isolated and alone. I struggled to see the brighter side of things, I struggled in my relationship because deep down I wasn’t feeling like myself. My parents noticed this and well I decided to talk about it they were obviously caught off guard but they did want to help, so I was surprised to get that response because before I never would have seen them telling me that. 

            There are obviously multiple factors and events that a person lives through that can traumatize them or effect them strongly enough that they begin to develop a mental problem or for some people the origin and source of their problems is completely different. One that I tend to see in people my age and slightly older is the idea of being in a relationship, there’s this weird sort of stigma that is associated with relationships. I began to wonder why some people were thinking this way, or why they act and react to certain things that are around the idea of a loved one or partner in their life.

The article I found serves the purpose to inform people and is pretty neutrally toned about the topic on how relationships start or end and what a person experiences in them. The article about finding three loves within a person’s lifetime is seen as a cliche. The written piece used in this paper is supposed to give someone an idea that they should not rely on this old idea for their own happiness. If someone were to hang on to that first love our idea it would destroy any other possibility of finding love. The author Kate Rose uses an unbiased tone and she is a relationship coach. The article is trying to argue that someone should not be emotionally dependent on their first interest. Being a relationship coach she has a better insight into how these relationships affect someone. Her stance and language are very professional she writes lines like” And it’s that possibility that makes trying again always worthwhile because the truth is you never know when you’ll stumble into love”. Somone should not dig themselves into a hole that they refuse to get out of. Due to this feeling people can develop mental problems like depression or the imposter effect, a continuous cycle of self doubt. If a person does not discuss their problems it could lead to so many horrible outcomes like suicide or drug abuse.

            I personally saw a lot of people back in high school who were stressed out to their capacity and they started feeling all different kinds of things. Some were developing anger or depression, isolating themselves from friends to make deadlines or others who just basically were putting themselves down by question their own self worth. High School to college is one of the biggest transitions in a person’s life and it is here where I think a person hides the most or doesn’t get the help they want because they get told “ What your feeling is normal, it happens to everyone”. How is that normal, how is feeling depression or anger and completely questioning your life normal? Is it normal to wake up everyday suffering? Some people seek out professional help but others look to their faith, to a higher power to give them an answer. In this article written for Time Magazine a pastor who himself was dealing with mental issues passed away due to suicide .The author Josiah Bates has written multiple pieces on multiple political issues, and in addition to this, he has written for multiple websites/outlets including Time Magazine and ABC. This article is written at the time of a pastor’s death and at the time of revisiting it Mental Health Day has passed. He writes this so that people can see how these problems end if proper help is not given to the person. Its purpose is to remember someone who was a well-established part of their community who was supposed to bring positivity into other people’s lives but he fell to the demons and issues of mental health. It is supposed to convey the message that people should open up more about their problems so that the same pain and loss that Wilson’s family feels is not felt again by anyone else.  In this article I got a sense of hope that a person can seek help no matter who they are,even a pastor can be as quoted from his wife” fed the darkest lies”. No one is ever really alone during these tough times in their life. 

One major form that is putting attention on these issues is media, any and all kinds. In today’s world media has become such a strong influence, maybe a bit too strong. The following article is one of the stronger pieces I found one reason being that the author is a certified doctor/ medical professional by the name of Naveed Saleh. They focus on freelance writing and his awards and merit speak highly of his work. He used the word stigma in his title to create the sense that an idea like the ones he discusses are social stereotypes. His piece argues that these ideas are harmful for the people who live with these illnesses. He even clearly states this idea in the following sentence “automatically assigning the label “crazy” does a great disservice to people who live with mental illness every day.” He is trying to argue that these social media outlets are damaging the way mental health is viewed. states that the portrayal in the media of these people or victims rather is never truly accurate a person might not really be thinking suicidal thoughts or that the person can openly and publicly talk about their condition but this isn’t true. An example of this could be the victims in a recent documentary called Surviving R.Kelly, all the girls and women victimized took years to speak out and get help.However even after seeking help there were doubters and people who just saw them seeking attention.

Something  that has been increasingly harmful is day to day internet use in the  psychological mindset of young adolescents. In an article there is statistical data that shows how younger teens could spend more time on the internet but they can also develop more suicidal thoughts or even attempt suicide on more occasions. Why is this? I think that having media or the internet can cause someone to become an introvert who keeps to themselves or is just attached to being a different identity online. This source offers a professional insight to the issue and there is a sense that there should be a decrease in online use. Not only this but there shoud be proper outlets to help the victims of these issues. The source is well examined there is literal statistical evidence that shows how an increase in online activity causes these problems to increase. In addition to this there are three medical professionals that examine these cases,mental health should not be taken lightly it requires professional help.. This topic is the reason why I’m studying psychology I want to help people in the future. I want to take this topic further ask people what they think can be done and possibly even begin programs to benefit those that are not in a good mental stage in their lives.

The idea of mental health has to offer different solutions tailored for every individuals problem. I believe that these four sources are to help me in my journey to provide solutions and help people like myself that struggle with these issues. Taking into account these last authors I think this is only the tip of the iceberg as people put it. Moving on from this essay I will try to gain more evidence and develop a better claim with a more compelling way to convey ideas. Writing is a form that ideas can be connected and its a way for me to help others that suffer from mental health issues. 

 

Works Cited

Bates, Josiah. “Megachurch Pastor, Mental Health Advocate Jarrid Wilson Dies.” Time, Time, https://time.com/5674636/megachurch-pastor-jarrid-wilson-dies-suicide/.

 

“We Only Fall in Love with 3 People in Our Lifetime – Each One for a Specific Reason.” Love What Matters, 6 Aug. 2018, https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/we-only-fall-in-love-with-3-people-in-our-lifetime-each-one-for-a-specific-reason/. 

 

Saleh, Naveed. “How Mental Health Issues Are Damaged by Mass Media.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 24 June 2019, https://www.verywellmind.com/mental-health-stigmas-in-mass-media-4153888. 

 

Shibboleth Authentication Request, https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/full/10.1111/nhs.12086.