Mental health is an integral part of health, fundamental to our collective and individual ability to think, express our emotions and interact with each other.
Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental health disorder, as well as 17% of youth ages 6 to 17. More than 31% of Americans experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, and depression affects 17.3 million Americans and 264 million people worldwide, according to World Health Organization.
Like physical health, mental health is determined by multiple socioeconomic, biological and environmental factors. People who are biracial or are from rural or poor communities disproportionately suffer from mental health disorders, according to the National Institute for Mental Health.
Research consistently shows the correlation between mental health disorders and suicide, the second-leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 10 and 34. Mental health awareness and treatment approaches have increased over the last decade, but access to care remains a challenge. Less than half of people with mental health disorders — far fewer in developing countries — ever receive services or treatment, according to the WHO.
As Mental Health Month comes to a close in this challenging year, we asked students to explain the important role that public health has to play in promoting mental health and responding to the increasing burden of mental health disorders:
“A community simply cannot thrive without infrastructure in place that improves and maintains mental health. Much like other realms of health, mental health resources must be equitable in nature to achieve a more just community.”
– Jacob Caponi, MPH student
“Mental illness remains a major concern to public health worldwide. Recognizing symptoms, raising awareness, improving diagnosis, accessibility and correcting social stigmas are a few of the necessary overarching public health approaches to improve morbidity and mortality associated with mental disorders. Only through unreserved cooperation across borders and disciplines can we address this growing epidemic and improve well-being on a global scale.”
– Lubna Jasim, BS in Health Sciences student
“In public health, taking care of your mind is as important as taking care of your body. This means prioritizing yourself and having self-compassion — being kind and gentle with yourself when you’re struggling.”
– Shibani Chettri, PhD student
“Mental health is often overlooked as a public health issue because it is widely thought that mental health is solely an individual concern. However, mental health and physical health work together to influence individual and population health outcomes.”
– Rachel Leimkuehler, BSPH ’19
“In the scope of public health, mental health advocacy should be a reminder that self-care, without community care, is not really care at all. We must end the stigma against utilizing mental health services in order to empower each of our communities.”
– Brad Eidson, BSPH student
