Change Your World Week Winter 2023 (Archived)

We all have those days where something is going on in our lives that can make us worry, freak out, or it can even be something that makes us sad. Imagine being worried or sad all the time. This is what people with anxiety and/or depression go through in their day to day lives. Depression, as well as anxiety, is a real disease that you cannot just pull yourself out of. They are both considered long term diseases. 

"Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, or nervousness about something in your life, such as an event or a situation. It is a normal reaction to stress. Anxiety helps you stay alert for a challenging situation at work, study harder for an exam, or to remain focused on an important speech. However, anxiety can be disabling if it interferes with daily life, such as making you dread day-to-day activities that are nonthreatening like talking ot a coworker, or riding the bus. Anxiety can also be a sudden attack of terror when there is no threat."

Depression is a mental health illness when someone feels sad, empty, or hopeless most of the time. According to the "National Institute of Mental Health", depression (also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a common but serious mood disorder". A person can also lose interest in or take no pleasure in daily activities for at least two weeks. "Someone who has depression may not make good choices when it comes to hygiene or proper eating, because they are struggling to care about taking good care of themselves" says Michelle Dakota in her book "Mental Health".  Depression can affect a person's ability to work, go to school, or have relationships with friends and family." People who have depression cannot just "pull themselves" out of it.

According to "Columbia University Irving Medical Center," one out of six adults will have depression at some point in their life. Depression affects about 16 million American adults every year. The data from this article was drawn from the 2015-2022 National Survey on Drug and Health, a nationally representative study of U.S individuals aged 12 years and older." As stated, many people per year suffer with anxiety, depression, or even both. Which is why it is important to know all about anxiety, depression, and how to help because someone you may know could be suffering from these mental illnesses.  

The graph above shows past-year depression in the U.S., from 2015 to 2020 by age group. 

Some symptoms of anxiety include:

• Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
• Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• https://youtu.be/SnXWEXmVMnk

Some symptoms of depression include: 

• Feeling sad or anxious often or all the time
• Not wanting to do activities that used to be fun
• Waking up too early or sleeping too much
• Thinking about suicide or hurting yourself

In the article "How to be a Mental Health Advocate" it states that, "Mental health advocates play a vital role in every community. For individuals living with a mental illness, advocates can be the difference between feeling alone in the world versus feeling seen, heard, supported, and understood." 

Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Support a friend or family member
  • This could be listening to their story without judgement or accompanying them to an appointment.
• Volunteer at a local organization or hotline
• Speak to local leaders about increasing access to mental health services
• Educate yourself and spread helpful information about mental health
  • Read articles about mental health and share them on social media

• Tips from former smokers, “Mental Health Conditions: Depression and Anxiety.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”   September 14^th, 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html

• "Anxiety Disorders". National Institute of Mental Health  , March 11^th, 2022, https://www.mentalhealth.gov/what-to-look-for/anxiety-disorders

• "Depression". Office on Women's Health, February 17th, 2021, https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/depression

• "Anxiety Disorders". Office on Women's Health, February 17th, 2021, https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/anxiety-disorders

• Beck Dakota, Michelle. “Mental Health”. eBook collection “Mason Crest” 2020
• “Nearly One in Ten Americans Reports Having Depression: Prevalence is particularly high among adolescents and young adults.” Columbia University Irving Medical Center. September 19^th, 2022. 
• https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/nearly-one-ten-americans-reports-having-depression 

• "How to be a Mental Health Advocate - Complete Guide", Unite for Change, May 28th, 2022, https://uniteforchange.com/en/blog/mental-health/advocate/