#WorldMentalHealthDay

Daryan Gomez/ Contributor / The USD Vista

On Oct. 10, Twitter users all around the world tweeted with the hashtag #WorldMentalHealthDay. World Mental Health Day, which was begun by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992 with the purpose of advocating and educating the public on mental health issues, has become a worldwide event, recognized in several countries.

Junior Ariana Snyder was inspired by this day, and also took to educating those around her about the importance of discussing mental health without fear of negative stigmas or receiving backlash from one’s peers.

“World Mental Health Day is a day to educate people on mental health, advocate for those who are affected, and bring awareness on how normal it is to suffer from mental illness,” Snyder said.

Each year, World Mental Health Day has a theme that often reflects the current issues and trends seen in today’s society in relation to mental health. The 2017 theme was “Mental health in the workplace,” and this year’s was “Young People and mental health in the changing world.” In recent years, rates of poor mental health have risen at an alarming rate, especially among current and younger generations. This present-day rise of mental health issues among the younger generations led to the decision of this year’s theme for World Mental Health Day.

The focus also shows how much the younger generations are being affected by the constantly changing world. Young people are being exposed to an increasing amount of personal negativity, with cyberbullying and violence becoming a huge part of modern life for them,  in both the home and school. Snyder believes that World Mental Health Day is an asset to students, as it has prompted conversations regarding mental illness, especially in spaces where it might not have been a welcome topic of discussion.

“The younger generation has definitely brought to light the struggles people face with mental health and made it more normalized,” Snyder said. “I think the theme is important because the younger the kids are when we educate them on mental health, the better.”

Helping to ensure that both current youth and future generations are able to take care of themselves, especially in the context of mental health, is one of the main intentions behind this year’s World Mental Health Day theme. While mental health issues have always existed, they have been highly stigmatized throughout history, and still carry that today.

For junior Danielle Amano, the culture of not discussing mental illness in most settings can be just as challenging as expressing the mental illness itself.

“Because of all the stigma that is surrounding mental health, everyone thinks that you’re crazy or unstable, but it’s good for people to understand that just because you have a mental illness doesn’t mean you can’t be a normal person who likes to enjoy things and be happy,” Amano said. “Depression is only one of the states (that people with mental illnesses could) be in. And it’s good that there is a day dedicated to raising awareness for all the different kinds of mental health and destigmatizing it.”

The emphasis on the youth in this year’s theme also resonates with college-aged people. College students are experiencing high levels of stress due to the pressure placed on them to do well in their classes, get an internship, and maintain a social life at the same time. Because of this, there has been a spike in mental health issues among college students. According to the World Health Association’s survey of 14,000 first years in eight different countries, about one in three college students struggle with their mental health in some capacity.

Junior Roniya Yako thinks that this is affecting the way students view themselves in context to the world around them, and has begun a shift in students’ identity.

“A lot of college students experience so much anxiety and depression that these experiences gradually start to become our personalities,” Yako said. “And I think that’s more of a comment on society and its standards. Maybe the blame shouldn’t be placed on individuals but on social norms and standards. I mean, there has to be a reason why it’s so common and continues to become more and more common.”

World Mental Health Day has become a day when people can discuss the importance of a person being aware and taking care of their own mental health. Yako finds this to be its most important function.

“I hope at the very least, that people realize taking care of your mental health is not a negative thing to do and that it’s not just for people with serious mental health conditions; that’s like saying exercising and eating right is only for people with serious health problems,” said Yako.

Amano is pleased at the increase in productive conversation around mental health.

“With everything that is happening in today’s society, mental health is definitely becoming more and more talked about,” Amano said.

It is important to be aware of how much the world is changing and how much youth are being affected by this constant change. World Mental Health Day accomplished that this year with its theme of “Young people and mental health in the changing world.” Not only this, but mental health advocates all over the world have put an emphasis on how important it is to talk about topics like mental health and how everyone is affected by it in different ways.

Yako emphasized this point, saying that mental health discussions should not be viewed as an unseemly topic to discuss openly.

“Mental health shouldn’t be such a negative topic that’s hidden or repressed, and it’s up to younger individuals to change that by shwoing it in a different light and getting rid of the stigma,” Yako said.

Snyder agrees, emphasizing the idea that each person who struggles with mental illness has their own specific struggle, and that requires those discussing mental health to take a nuanced look at these issues.

“Every mind is different and everyone has different mental health experiences, so I think there is always room to grow when it comes to my own mental health education,” Snyder said.

According to the American College Health Association, suicide among teens aged 15-19 is rising at an alarming rate, with a 35 percent increase in males and nearly doubling in females. With stakes this high, it is all the more urgent that young adults see college as a safe place to discuss issues of mental health and seek help for themselves if necessary. While World Mental Health Day may not seem like much help at first glance, it is a starting point to prompt dialogue and push resources and support forward in conversation.