Mental Health In Schools Essay

There are mental health stigmas everywhere. They pressure us into hiding our disorders and flaws so that no one sees them. Mental health is usually brushed under the rug in public schools, or any schools in general. Mental illnesses are very serious but they’re also an uncomfortable subject, which is why most schools don’t include them in their curriculum. I personally think that schools should talk about them more so children and adolescents don’t feel ashamed of how their brains work.

Everyone feels nervous at least once in your life. But, imagine being worried or nervous all of the time, all day long. People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) experience this. They worry about a disaster and will be overly concerned with

finances, family, work, or things along those lines. To be diagnosed with this, one must find it difficult to control worry on more days than not controlling it for at least six months. GAD isn’t like your normal phobia where someone is worried about one specific thing. GAD is worrying about every little thing. Symptoms of this disorder are constant worrying, an inability to relax, difficulty concentrating or focusing on everyday tasks, avoiding situations that make you anxious, feeling tense, having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep during the night, or stomach problems such as nausea or diarrhea. Being a child with GAD is much harder. Unlike adults, children with this disorder don’t realize that their anxiety is unlikely to happen. Symptoms of GAD in children are fears about situations that are further in the future, perfectionism, feeling like they’re to blame in any disaster, or a need for approval or reassurance the majority of the time. Generalized Anxiety is just one of the many anxiety disorders that affect normal, innocent people in the world. If you or anyone that you know ever has one or more of these symptoms for a long period of time, seek help from a professional such as a doctor or a therapist.

Another one of the many anxiety disorders that are too common is panic disorder.

Panic disorder is much different than GAD. Panic disorder is a serious condition where the sufferer experiences a wave of irrational fear. One who is diagnosed with Panic Disorder may live in fear of another panic attack and will often avoid a person or place that was around when the last attack occurred. Agoraphobia, which is the fear of being in a public or being in a crowded place, is normally linked with panic disorder. People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder can experience an anxiety attack, which is different from a panic attack. An anxiety attack occurs when one is faced with a stressor and the attack is only a few minutes, maybe even a few seconds. Panic attacks, on the other hand, can last about 10 minutes and approach out of nowhere. Symptoms of a panic attack include difficulty breathing, chest pain, shortness of breath, trembling/shaking, sweating, nausea, tingling/numbness in limbs, or a fear that you are losing control of yourself or you are about to die. Some causes of Panic Disorder are substance abuse, history of the disorder in the family, or even a major life stress like a death in the family or a major transition. Even though this disorder is horrible to live with, it’s very common. About 2.4 million Americans live with this condition. Panic disorder usually begins in either early childhood or late adolescence. The disease is also twice as common to find in women

as it is to find it in men. There are quite a few treatments for Panic Disorder. One that is common is psychotherapy, which is a type of counseling that allows the patient to talk with someone and receive the help that they need. Another way that a patient can overcome panic disorder is to start taking medication. One who suffers from panic disorder has many medicines to choose from. There are medicines that balance serotonin levels, such as Zoloft or Prozac, or benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety medication) such as Xanax or Klonopin. There are also certain antidepressants that can help with panic disorder. Even though certain people abuse these drugs, they are very helpful in adjusting your anxiety.

Any type of anxiety is extremely serious, whether it is panic disorder or social anxiety or GAD. If anyone has any of these disorders, they should not feel ashamed of something out of their control. Having any type of mental illness is completely okay. Nearly everyone experiences some type of mental illness in their life. Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States, affecting 18% of the population. GAD affects 3.1% of the population, while Panic Disorder affects 2.7%. Panic disorder is commonly associated with major depression. Other disorders, such as social anxiety or OCD, are also common in the United States. Social anxiety affects 15 million Americans, which is about 6.8% of the population. OCD, on the other hand, only affects about 1% of the population. If you think that you're alone while fighting this illness, know that there are millions of other people going through the same thing.