Mental Health Blog #3

I chose to take the mental health quiz for this blog. I feel like mental health is very important for everyone. When someone suffers from mental health issues it effects their lives every day. I learned a couple of facts that I was not aware of when taking the self -quiz. One thing I was not aware of was the fact that “Half of all mental illness occurs before a person turns 14 years old, and three-quarters of mental illness begin before age 24” ("Mental Health - Home Page - CDC", 2020).  I find this fact interesting because my son was diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorder at the age of 18. Being alarmed early when he was younger around the age of 15, I had taken him to the doctor, who at the time informed me that if he was making good grades in school, he was fine.  At the age of 18 when it was clear he was suffering; he could not even take a test in school with out getting worked up and nervous. At one point he was in the hallway bent over trying to catch his breath. This is when I knew that was a real problem.  I was heart wrenching to listen to how he suffered everyday battling his own mind as he would call it. After a few visits the doctor finally found medications that worked best for him. He is now 27 years old and lives a normal life. He still has days he must, just talk about his feelings and worries and it helps calm his anxiety. He has found learning how to manage his anxiety is very important for his mental health. Being diagnosed with bipolar has also been a challenge for him and our family. Some days are good while others are bad. One day he is happy the next minute he may be sad. My son’s mental illness impacts his life every day. He has told me that he that at times he must really decide what is real and what is just in “in his head” as he says. I have learned many things about mental illness through my son and others in my family. The most important thing I have learned is that it is real, and they do suffer every day. The worst thing you could do is call them crazy, they feel bad enough about what they cannot change. Offer them a hug or an ear to listen. These individuals most go through a lot just to wake up every morning and feel what we know as normal. 

References : 

Introspective Comics by Ryan Dow » Archive » Code Three. (2020). Retrieved 4 July 2020, from https://ryandow.com/ic/2013/12/22/code-three/

Quiz - Mental Health - CDC. (2020). Retrieved 3 July 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/quiz/index.htm