Mental illness seems to be a growing problem in the U.S., with one in five teens having a mental disorder, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control). The average teen experiences the same amount of anxiety today as a 1950’s asylum patient, according to Psychology Today.

“I think [mental illness] is becoming a bigger problem,” said Ms. Meyer, psychology teacher. “I think our diet has a lot to do with it. … we are living longer so some of them [mental illnesses] that manifest later are coming out and just as the population grows so will the number of people with diseases.”

Along with mental illnesses becoming more common, some stigmas and misconceptions about mental illness have also gotten worse. A recent study by the American Psychology Association (APA) shows that  68 percent of Americans don’t want someone with mental illness to marry into their family and 58 percent do not want people with mental illness in their workplaces.

A mental illness diagnosis can cause many people to do things they shouldn’t do without thinking about it, or cause them to avoid doing things they do want to do.

A student who asked to remain anonymous said, “In the past, it has resulted in me being a little antisocial and introvertive, I didn’t have many friends and I didn’t make any so I was always kind of a loner until recently.”

The APA also discovered that most individuals are afraid of people with mental illness, and people are twice as likely to assume someone with mental illness is violent like they were in 1950. However, mentally ill people are no more likely to be violent but instead are more likely to be violently abused.

“Going around the school when people hear I have bipolar they basically assume I’m a serial killer,” said Duncan Harting, senior.

For people suffering from mental illness, support from family and friends can make a big difference in how well they cope.

“If someone has a friend suffering from mental illness, they should make sure the friend gets proper help, they can study the illness themselves and practice tolerance, understanding and patience,” said Meyer.

Stigma about mental illness doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, despite efforts by many organizations, such as the APA.

“There is a stigma because we are afraid of what we don’t know about and what’s different; once we know more the less weird they will be, and once we know more about it we recognize it in ourselves and see that they’re not that different,” said Meyer.

According to the APA, 56% of people are unwilling to have a person with mental illness spend an evening socializing with them.

“Just because you have anxiety doesn’t mean you’re a freak; we’re no different than anybody else,” said the anonymous student.

RESOURCES
If you are suffering from symptoms associated with mental illness, the following organizations can help:

• Catholic Family Services

1-800-652-8055

• Lutheran Family Services

(314) 787-5100

• CHADS Coalition for Mental Health

(314) 952-2046

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) STL

(636) 940-7440

• BJC Behavioral Health

(314) 206-3700

• Safe Connections

(314) 646-7500

• Kids in the Middle

(314) 909-9922

• Our Little Haven

(314) 533-2229