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“There is no health without mental health,” the World Health Organization famously says. Fortunately, people are getting better at taking care of both their emotional and physical well-being, but there’s still a long way to go before we completely combat the rising numbers of mental disorders.
Instagram account The Happiness Project, run by a ‘bloke from Manchester,’ is set on helping the cause, one post at a time. It’s full of real and raw experiences from people struggling with mental health that help people not feel alone. To find them, all you have to do is scroll down.
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#2
Bored Birgit 4 months ago (edited)
Yes, it is. I feel exhausted all the time, staying in bed unable to do chores or even things I like. And I don't know why. Just feeling helpless.
“The U.S. has reached peak therapy,” the Times reported in 2023. Reaching out to counseling when people need emotional support has become a topic that is widely discussed in books, movies, and podcasts.
Celebrities, professional athletes, and politicians nowadays are more open about sharing their mental health struggles, sprinkling their statements with words like boundaries, toxic people, and gaslighting. Everyone seems to be using the language of therapy, whether correctly or not.
#6
Eunice Probert 4 months ago
Also, two parents and one child is still a family. I have just one child and I've lost count of the number of people who feel they should question that. You'd have thought it was a crime to have one child and not want any more.
Such emotional well-being awareness is reflected in statistics too. About one in eight US adults takes antidepressants, and one in five has received some kind of mental health treatment. Since 2002, an additional 15 million people have turned to mental health care, and between 2019 and 2022, such services grew by 40%.
However, even with rising awareness and more people going to therapy, mental health seems to be getting worse by several metrics. Suicide rates have gone up by 30% since 2000, and almost a third of adults report having symptoms of depression or anxiety, about three times as many as in 2019.
#8
DutchPanda 4 months ago
I've been in a depression for a couple years and I can tell you, is pretty messed up. And people commenting fücked up stuff while depressed people might be scrolling through this topic for consolation and to feel understood, is just so wrong.
One in twenty-five adults suffers from a serious mental health illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, only 31% of adults in the US considered their mental health to be very good in 2022, down 43% from 2002.
Such figures can be explained by the fact that more people are comfortable seeking mental health care, which in turn increases the number of people getting diagnosed and treated for mental disorders.
#10
Jess Smith 4 months ago
Savahax, that's a great point and did you know that discipline can also break the cycle of 'blood getting out of that hole I just put in your body'? No need for a hospital...not that you'd need to worry about paying since discipline also makes you become a billionaire! In all seriousness depression is just...it's not like that. Discipline requires effort. It requires mental work. It requires thinking ahead to a future when the present is hard enough. It requires all those things that are really hard to do when you're depressed.
#11
Luke Branwen 4 months ago
Idk about y'all, but I think it's a good thing to distinguish "committed suicide" and "died from depression". For example Chester Bennington clearly died from depression - he was one of the world's most prolific rock musicians, had awesome band, money, wife, children... and still his childhood trauma got him in the end.
#12
Huddo's sister 4 months ago
In my opinion (though I seem to be the only one) it's not about being worthy. It's about the struggle to get yourself well. It's not fair to them or yourself to be trying to split your time and energy between getting well and another person. Sometimes you need to give healing your all. Then when you are in a better place you can actually have a healthy relationship where you are able to focus on their needs as much as your own. Then you aren't constantly feeling guilty for not being able to be as present in a relationship as you want to be. Obviously this isn't what everyone in that position needs, but many do.
In fact, a poll in 2019 found that 87% of US adults believed that having mental health issues was nothing to be ashamed of.
On a less positive note, more people are struggling with significant societal disruptions like the pandemic and the Great Recession, which prevent them from getting the support they need. However, some experts attribute the population’s worsening mental health to insufficient modern psychiatry.
Unlike physical health, mental health doesn’t have a clear-cut answer to healing. Often, a diagnosis can have an ambiguity to it or a gray area, which doesn’t make it certain. That's why research suggests that misdiagnosis as well as overdiagnosis are common in psychiatry.
#18
"Disembodied voice" 4 months ago
Even if you've gone through the exact same situation, it's different. Everyone reacts and handles things differently and that's okay.
“If I’m giving you an antibiotic but you have a viral infection, it’s not going to do anything," said Dr. Robert Trestman, one of the chairs of the American Psychiatric Association.
Exactly how an antidepressant may not work well for someone with bipolar disorder, which can be mistaken for depression. This may explain why, even though so many people are prescribed this drug, they don’t always experience great results.
#21
Lady Miss Pie 4 months ago
Literally every problem I have could be solved with a higher income—not terribly high, just enough to meet the COL. Every single problem.
Even certain styles of therapy aren’t always suitable for a person. Sometimes therapy in general doesn’t yield any benefits. Even though some might view counseling as an automatic fix, it doesn’t work for everyone. Those who improve need at least 20 sessions, which requires a lot of time and financial resources.
#22
iBlank 4 months ago (edited)
Priority one is getting out of the situation of abuse (good on OP to move on). But in a thread about mental health I'd like to point out that the mean drunk is the one who likely needs the most help, whether they're willing to admit it or not. It's a lot easier to be a happy drunk if you're not withholding a ton of trauma.
#24
To really make a difference and improve our population’s mental health, we should look beyond a therapist’s couch. Non-medical solutions like making housing and education more accessible, implementing job training, and increasing fresh food and green space availability can have profound effects on our health.
#26
Joseph Miller 4 months ago
Only enough energy to put on a 'work' face at work, and then 'crash' at home.
California, for example, has already started expanding what healthcare is. However, such policies are moving slowly. In the meantime, experts urge the system to provide resources in the right places, like online counseling, and to focus on quality rather than quantity.
#31
Luke Branwen 4 months ago
"I didn't understand your joke, can you please explain it?" is allegedly an AMAZING defense agains all kinds of $hitty jokes, including racist, queerphobic etc.
#32
Mia Black 4 months ago
My father. Only my mom knew and never told us. He seemed so happy. Now, I think at least I and maybe my sister have depression too. But we talk about it, seek for help, are understood and supported by friends...I wish my father, like many men, could do the same to feel not that alone
#35
#38
Jeremy James 4 months ago
In my darkest moments, one thing that keeps me from ending it all is the morbid curiosity about what would have taken me out otherwise.
#41
StrangeOne 4 months ago
When things are feeling great I get anxious knowing it's not going to last and I never know how long it will.
#43
setsuriseikou 4 months ago
Well, at least Janet asks questions and actually listens to th answers instead of going "discipline/fresh air/exercise/whatever else will cure you!"
#45
Montanavanna 4 months ago
Everyone has the age they thought they would not make it past. Was just having this conversation with friends the other day. Mine was 36. I will be 40 in December. What is your not gonna make it past age?
#47
Mia Black 4 months ago
I once wrote letters to nearest friends what I like about them and what I'm proud of them. It felt very strange but they were so touched that it made me feel better and I knew it was right. I have them a treasure and got some back. Wonderful. But your have to overcome yourself to do this. That's hard
#48
Sky Render 4 months ago (edited)
In my friend circle we call this "life happening" to us. If one of us says "life has been happening to me pretty hard lately", that's what we understand it to mean.
#49
Duncan McCann 4 months ago
I have a friend who every day I exchange a virtual hug with - 'Monday hug', 'Tuesday hug' etc. Pointless? After over ten years it doesn't feel like it to me. Others may not see how it could be important, but it is to me and that's all that matters.
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What do you think ?
Multa Nocte 4 months ago
These were wonderful and make me remember back to how positive and fun BP was just a few years ago.
Jess Smith 4 months ago
Was it? I discovered it when it was full of 'AITA' things. From what I've read it sounds amazing back then...
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Multa Nocte 4 months ago
These were wonderful and make me remember back to how positive and fun BP was just a few years ago.
Jess Smith 4 months ago
Was it? I discovered it when it was full of 'AITA' things. From what I've read it sounds amazing back then...
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