Mental Health includes our psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It affects how we think, act, and feel. It also plays a role in how we handle situations and our choices. People with untreated mental health issues develop mental illnesses. Mental illnesses left untreated are linked to self-medicated addiction.
Mental illness, trauma, and drug addiction all correspond with each other. Mental illnesses would include and are not limited to anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A person can be born with a mental illness or develop one over time. People must have a clear understanding of mental illness to understand it. Trauma would include and is not limited to abandonment, neglect, bullying, and emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Mental illness and untreated trauma are linked to people who suffer from drug addiction. Watch the link below to learn about trauma and its effects on the brain.
Drug addiction is an issue that affects many people. People with a mental illness or trauma who don't seek help or are emotionally unstable are more likely to develop a self-medicating drug addiction. Drug addiction involves the abuser and their loved ones. It affects everyone emotionally, mentally, financially, and physically. Abandonment is a trauma leading many people, especially women, into addiction. Drug addiction can even create more trauma and mental illness. Many addicts may even feel hopeless and try to commit suicide.
Hope is not lost. There is a lot of help for people, and they don’t even know it; unfortunately, some people may also be content with the pain and suffering and must be forced to get clean and sober, which would be unsuccessful. A person must want it. It must be a decision s/he makes. To help people, I think we need to create places where people are comfortable talking about mental help with professionals and other people that can relate. People can live with mental illness and still be happy, but people can't live with addiction and be happy. We need to eliminate drug use and treat them for mental illness and trauma to fix them. If a person's mental health is untreated, treating them for their drug use is almost usleless.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the federal government’s lead agency when it comes to researching and understanding mental disorders. NIMH focuses on the most important aspects of mental health research. Outreach programs through a NIMH partner with community groups all around the country. The public can learn the facts about mental illnesses. NIMHS created the alliance for research progress, which includes advocates for patients and their families, and professionals for research progress, which includes doctors and senior leaders from mental health organizations. NIMH is just one agency willing to help people with mental illness and drug addiction
