Listen Live

May is Mental Health Awareness month. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults have symptoms of a mental illness nationally.

Why Are Mental Health Issues On The Rise?

A study by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center, published earlier this year in the journal Psychiatric Services, found more Americans than ever before suffer from serious psychological distress. Mental illness is on the rise.

Scientificworldinfo.com states the shift may be due in part to the rise of digital media. In the USA, many young adults and adolescents experienced serious psychiatric disorders, major depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and more attempted suicide in the late 2010s, versus the mid-2000s. Economic woes and cultural changes are also attributed to the rise in weakening mental health. Forbes released information saying grief, trauma, and physical isolation of the last two years have driven Americans to a breaking point. The pandemic’s most serious and enduring consequences: the staggering rise in mental health illness.

woman looking out a window

(Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Is “Anxiety” The Mental Health Buzzword For 2022?

Anxiety is the mind and body’s reaction to stressful, dangerous, or unfamiliar situations. It’s the sense of uneasiness, distress, or dread you feel before a significant event. However, not all anxiety is bad. A certain level of anxiety helps us stay alert and aware and is useful in everyday life. It enables us to be aware of things in our world that we need to adhere to such as road rules, going to work and making payments on time. Positivepsychology.com says self-soothing skills are essential for mental health. In the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in widespread isolation for many people; traditional sources of  soothing were often unavailable. The word “anxiety” has replaced any uncomfortable feeling that isn’t going away with forgotten, self-soothing.

Mental Illness In Indiana

In the U.S.,  approximately one in six Americans are on antidepressants, including more than a quarter of those as long-term users. InsiderMonkey.com listed the top 10 states with the highest levels of depression. Indiana ranked 4th on the list. In Indiana, 22.51% are suffering from mental illness.  66,000 youths had a major depressive episode, constituting around 12.7% of the total state population within the past 2 years. The Behavioral Health Department at Community Health Network said from July 2020 to January 2021, they saw a 131% increase in calls to Indiana’s Be Well Crisis Helpline.