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Living anxiously in Pittsburgh has taught me that mental health should be treated just as seriously as physical health

  • Courier Newsroom
Making people, especially friends and family, “aware” of your mental illness is messy and uncomfortable. That’s not to say delivering news of any diagnosis is fun, but telling your friends you have cancer or diabetes is typically not met with, “Have you tried jogging, though,” Cristina Holtzer writes. (Photo by Kat Procyk/PublicSource)

Compelling personal stories
told by the people living them.

“We have a mental health problem in this country.”
“The focus now should be on mental health.”
“If you are struggling, you need to reach out for help.”
These platitudes flood the mainstream discussion on mental illness, an issue that affects more than 500,000 people in Pennsylvania and 43.8 million people in the United States.
To put in perspective how widespread mental health conditions are, consider this: About one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. Mental illness will affect one in five Americans at some point during their lifetime.

And every October, we’re all reminded of breast cancer with Breast Cancer Awareness month. City buildings turn pink and NFL players bring out their colorful socks. But when was the last time your office courtyard turned their foundation a different color for depression? Bipolar disorder? Anxiety disorders?
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE AT:

https://www.publicsource.org/living-anxiously-in-pittsburgh-mental-health/

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