Thanks to continued exposure of the mental illness epidemic in our country—if not the world—and the promotion of mental health care, more people are coming to terms with this disease as being more common than not and expressing more positive views about it.Yet, sadly, there are still those who think negatively about those with a mental illness. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2019 poll, around 33% of those surveyed agreed with the statement, “People with mental health disorders scare me,” and 39% said, “they would view someone differently if they knew [they] had a mental health disorder.”Mental health is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life. But usually, when a person hears the term “mental health,” depression immediately comes to mind. And they aren’t wrong. Depression was the leading mental health disorder in America in 2021, with 57.8 million reported sufferers (one in every five persons). That’s up from 18.5% in 2019. Granted, the uptick is most likely attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.Regardless, mental health cases continue to rise in America, although our country ranks 29th in the international rating of depressive countries, with a suicide rate of 16.1 per 100,000 people. According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, one in every eight people in the world (970 million) lived with a mental disorder, with depression and anxiety being the most common.As someone who suffers from depression, I fall into that “one in every five persons” category, and, honestly, I can attest to the fact that I have been viewed differently by some once they find out. One can feel discriminated against, which is why I tend to disclose my diagnosis only when necessary. And for this article, it’s necessary, because it’s important that people—including believers—take mental illness seriously. Maybe even more so today than in any other time in our history.But how?Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Prostock-Studio
