Mental health crisis in this day & age

Apart from being a health sector issue, the impact of mental health crisis resonates through every sector of the global economy.

Mental health is not only the psychological and emotional well-being of an individual but also the state of well-being where an individual can use their emotional and cognitive abilities to meet the demands of everyday life and contribute to the society.

The WHO states that mental health is “more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities.” Peak mental health is not only about managing active conditions but also looking after ongoing wellness and happiness. Mental illness can also result in persistant physical health issues , like diabetes and heart diseases.

In this day and age, we are facing many challenges, the pandemic and associated lockdown, difficulty getting on with a successful career, along with dealing with the burden of expectation. The list is endless; often the coping mechanisms we choose don’t help us to escape the system, instead they drench us further into the system.

An individual’s mental health can change over time and is affected by many factors. Earlier trauma or history of abuse, biological or chemical imbalance in brain, addiction, stain or stress that is beyond an individual’s coping capability. in this article we are focusing on 2 major factors . Constant presence of social media and Prescription drug misuse that cause health problems.

Social media

Recent studies referenced by The National Center for Health Research suggest people who frequently use social media feel more depressed and less happy with life than those who spend more time on non-screen-related activities.

The impact of social media on mental health is a serious issue. More often than not, social media puts forward the illusion of a ‘Perfect life’ and the users are constantly under pressure to lead a life alike. People tend to believe everything they see behind fancy filters are true and creates a feeling of ‘never being enough’ or reinforces the idea that perfection is possible. Unfavourable comparisons with others, cyber bullying, taking outrageous photos to gain attention, having little time for self care and mindfulness are all the negative impacts of excessive use of social media on mental health.

Very recently many technology ethicists, computer scientists and others came forward emphasising how social media is enslaving people by entrenching the system. They were much eager to point out the money game and technological investment behind it , of all what takes a toll is the mental health of normal people indulging in social media on regular basis.

The impact of internet on our mental health has been a topic of study for quite a long time. In 1998, American social psychologist Robert E. Kraut published a study indicating that internet use would significantly affect our social relationships , especially participation in the community. Which increases the possibility of feeling depressed and lonely. Though social media as we know of today weren’t present at the time of this study.

It was also found that the way social networking sites impact us is different for different age groups . One of the main reasons why time spent on social networking sites is associated with depressive symptoms, is because computer-meditated communication can in no way replace face-to-face communication, which is an important aspect in sustaining good mental health of an individual.

Prescription drug misuse

Through different studies and data explorations done by National Survey on Drug Use and Health, it was understood, from the category of drug misuse, the second most major cause in adults is the misuse of nonmedical prescription drugs. Another analysis drawn through this survey was that, adolescents who used non-medical prescription drugs were 33% to 35% more likely to experience major depressive episodes during their mental health crisis as compared to their non-abusing counterparts . Prolonged use of prescription drugs can result in some neurological changes along with psychological dependence and can possibly worsen the mental health of a person.

During adolescence , your entire brain and body is in a developing stage. The pre-frontal cortex develops further, which enables us to set priorities, control impulses, and strengthen our attention and strategies. The outer mantle of the brain continues to develop during this period and helps us in understanding the rules and laws of the social structure we are in. Drug misuse can fracture the developing neural pathways further affecting the development of the brain.

The information regarding the correlation between consequences of adverse mental health and prescription drug misuse is very limited hence this topic is largely unexplored

There are many ways one could deal with their adverse mental health, talking about how one feels, keeping oneself active, eating well and healthy, taking proper rest and most importantly seeking help.