Luke Bartolo ’27
EE Staff Writer
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not meant to provide medical advice. If you are in crisis, please see a doctor or call the crisis hotline at 988.
In 1949, the National Association of Mental Health established a week as Mental Health Awareness Week. The campaign was originally created to promote access to mental health treatment and to raise awareness for mental health. In the 1990s, the awareness week was expanded to the whole month of May; May was the founding month of the National Institute of Mental Health.
The most common type of anxiety is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). A person with GAD will experience excessive worrying daily. They will often ask the question, “What if….?” A person with GAD can also experience physical tension and fatigue. GAD can occur alongside other anxiety, mood, or neurological disorders, but can also occur on its own. GAD can be treated with therapy, medication, or both in conjunction.
Another type of mental health disorder is mood disorder. This type of disorder affects your emotional state. Depression is a type of mood disorder, as well as Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar is lifelong and causes intense shifts in mood. For example, some people are extremely happy one day and extremely down another day. The most common types of Bipolar Disorder are Bipolar I, Bipolar II, and Cyclothymia Disorder. With Bipolar I, people will have episodes of mania and depression. With Bipolar II, people will experience hypomania, which is a less severe mania. Cyclothymia is a form of bipolar where people have an unstable mood state.
The most common type of depression is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). It is often simply called “depression” or “clinical depression.” People with MDD can also experience anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, and trouble thinking. People with MDD will often experience a lack of interest or pleasure. Depression can be treated with therapy, medication, or both in conjunction.
It is important that we raise awareness for mental health disorders, as they are equally as important as physical health. If you have a mental health disorder, you are not alone. There is a vast variety of help available. There are many therapists that can perform psychotherapy, EMDR, CBT, DBT, and more to help soothe your mental health.
Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, focuses on verbal communication. Psychotherapy helps people understand their thoughts and feelings, as well as a safe environment for feelings to be discussed in.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that uses eye movement or bilateral stimulation to help take the emotions away from mental health issues and trauma.
CBT and DBT are forms of behavioral therapy. CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) works on the way you think and behave. People often challenge negative thoughts in CBT. DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) helps people manage emotions and interpersonal relationships. Common practices in DBT are mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance.
In summary, it is important to acknowledge our mental health and get help, if needed. If you are not sure where to start, talk to your physician about finding a therapist, and they will connect you. If you don’t want to talk to your physician about this, call 211, which is a hotline that will provide you connections with services for mental health.
Photo courtesy: National Institute of Health