The Internet : Mental Health And The Internet

Although widespread, mental illness afflicts only about 6% of the population (NAMI, 2012). This translates to 1 in every 17 Americans or approximately 57.7 million Americans who experience a mental disorder in a given year. The World Health Organization reported that mental disorders account for 4 out of the 10 leading causes of disability in the US and other developed countries. In addition, the US Surgeon General's report stated that 10% of children and adolescents in the US suffer from these disorders. These, in turn, severely affect their lives at home, in school and with

Approximately one out of every four Americans suffers from some form of mental disorder in a given year. About 3.5 million Americans suffer from severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness. At least 40 percent of mentally ill people do not seek help or are not being treated, while many wander the streets homeless (Kornblum).

Mental illness is quickly becoming more and more common. There was a time when Americans never even knew many of the different mental illnesses and disorders were out there, and now it seems like everyone has one. This is because mental illness is overdiagnosed and there are statistics to prove this. The numbers of people being diagnosed with depression or anxiety has increased dramatically, along with ADHD. According to a survey that was done between 2001 and 2003, “46% of Americans met the standards of having a mental illness. These standards were from the American Psychiatric Association and the study was conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health” (Levine 2). That's almost half of Americans. There is no way that many of us have a mental disorder, and this is because they are taking normal behavior that everyone feels, and blowing it out of the water.

Mental illness in America affects a lot more people than many people may think. Around 42.5 million American adults suffer from mental illness, and about 9.3 million of those suffer from serious mental problems. Serious mental illness means that their condition interferes with their day to day activities. Something even as normal as going to work or school can be impossible for these people. A study was done and last year one in five Americans or 45.9 million Americans were labeled as suffering from mental illness. However, this estimate in more than likely too low (Bekiempis).

School shootings, genocides, and mass suicides all have one large point in common. The closeted issue that many see as dangerously controversial may finally see some spotlight; mental illness. As the years go on, the nation is seeing more and more cases of these illnesses. With the amount of people with these issues, mental illness should become a forefront of medical care due to its life threatening nature. Humanity is beginning to learn more and more about this epidemic, and with this knowledge, there is optimism for man’s psyche.

While some may argue this as a problem of a rise of the mentally ill, it also shows the growth of awareness toward different disorders. Just a few decades ago it, someone that today might be classified as “down in the dumps” or “blue” can now be diagnosed with different forms of depression (Conley, 2015, p.433). The awareness and medical research has only recently become main stream. The internet has made the stigma of having a mental illness, or even a physical illness, away. Today a patient is more willing to research signs and symptoms of an illness and ask for some help, instead of going to the doctor and assuming that they will find everything that is wrong with

Serious mental illness (SMI) among citizens 18 or older is at 4.2% in the U.S. Individuals with SMI will die 10 years earlier than the general population. “Suicide in U.S. is 40,600 which is twice the annual rate of AIDS or homicide. Mental illness is the third costliest medical condition in terms of overall health care expenditure,” ("NIMH," 2015).

A survey conducted in U.S. based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-V found that approximately one fourth to one fifth of adolescents meet the mental disorder diagnosis criteria (Merikangas, 2010). So what are the reasons behind the current ‘epidemic’ of mental disorder? Many people attribute it to the pharmaceutical industry and blame pharmaceutical industry for disease mongering and its trying to influence scientific evidence for its own interests.

Like many illnesses that plague the world society lives upon, mental illnesses range from practically mild and self-limiting to severe and life threatening disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health takes note that an accumulated estimation of 43.7 million adults aged 18

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), “1 out of 7 U.S. children aged 2 to 8 years had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), stated that “25% of all U.S. adults have a mental illness and nearly 50% of U.S. adults will develop at least one mental illness during their lifetime.” Today we live in a society where the chances of living with a mental illness are higher than in the past. Due to the lack of knowledge and understanding, most people go unnoticed and will not receive the appropriate treatment. As a result, many individuals who suffer from a mental illness do not have coping skill to better handle or express their emotions appropriately.

There are lists upon lists of mental disorders and illnesses, and a lot of them people are not aware of. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia, anorexia, anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression are just a few of the most well-known and common mental illnesses. In America, about 18 million people are diagnosed with depression, 15 million with anxiety, 5 million with OCD, and 3 million with schizophrenia (Raley and Johnson 50). There are even more people

Since 1998, the number of people suffering from mental health issues has doubled. (Bhatia, 2015). Since the access of Internet – mainly the access via phones and computers – social media sites have become popular amongst everyone worldwide. With the increase of the amount of people using social media websites, studies have shown that social media is playing a major negative part in one’s mental health without them noticing the detrimental effects it’s having on them. (Falcon, 2012). Through the access of social media sites such as: Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter, people are being cyberbullied, distracted from the real world, developing negative emotions and feelings, and people who are recovering from mental health issues are being triggered by what is promoted on social media; therefore, preventing them from recovering.

Mental illness is real, it is here, and it is not a joke. Well, if it is such a big deal, what exactly is it? According to the Mayo Clinic, the term “mental illness” refers to “a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior” ("Mental Illness", 2015). Back in the 1900’s when the words “mental illness” was said, society had a drastically different reaction to it than they would have today. Mental illness has a long and complex history with varied public reactions throughout time and a variety of dangerous treatments. Though the mistakes of the past have left their mark, we are surely more aware and more educated about the subject than we have ever been before.

In today’s day and age, usage of the Internet has become a first hand source to achieve multiple tasks in a person’s life. With the advancement in technology, the Internet is accessible all over the world by using either mobile devices, computers, and Wi-Fi. As the Internet continues to be accessible people will be able to use this technological source as communication and more importantly for research. Health and medicine are a leading topic that is being researched by a majority of citizens around the world in order to self- diagnose or to self-prescribe. Medicine and health are correlated topics that relate to the well-being of a human both physically and mentally. The Internet plays a major role in the health care system, but there are numerous negative factors that the Internet has that will influence the well-being of a human. Negative factors of using the Internet for health or medical information is not useful due to the fact that a person’s health problem will become worse, undermines the role of a doctor, and can cause anxiety and stress.

Some internet sites understand that mental issues are an illness and need proper care. They explain how the individual is not abnormal or faulty for having issues such as depression. It also encourages them to seek advice and help from health professionals for their troubles because they are serious illness that should not be ignored.