“Ignorance is the enemy of understanding, and to combat ignorance, we must maintain and fulfill knowledge.”

Theodore Morelock
We, as a species, are facing a problem unlike any other. According to the World Health Organization, 450 million people face it, yet it is not seen; it takes a million lives a year, yet it is almost never spoken of. It is known, yet it is rarely challenged. I am referring to mental illness.

Of course, mental illness is an issue of itself. My family has a history of mental illness, and I would love nothing more than for mental illness to somehow be eradicated. However, without the first crucial step of understanding, these people only feel more isolated and cannot receive treatment and will far too often resort to self harm or suicide. I hope to prevent cases like that in my family, as I know how heartbreaking it is to lose someone to their mental inhibitions.

Mental illnesses, from autism, depression, insomnia, to the other 294 listed in the DSM-5, are not a choice and not as simple as changing one's attitude. To say to a person that is mentally ill that their problem is “all in their head” is akin to saying a person’s lung cancer is “just in their ribs”-- while it’s technically true, it is completely undermining and ignorant of the problem. Ideas such as these are not just toxic in how incorrect they are, but also in the message they send to mentally ill people. Words like “weak” and “pathetic” are attributed to the mentally ill far too often when in actuality it is a complex combination of genetic, psychological, biological, and environmental factors that create the perfect storm of mental illness. Insults to the character of a person that is mentally ill simply double-down on the already stigmatized treatment of mental illness, such as therapy or prescribed medication. Without such care, it, just like any other illness, will only fester, worsen and lead to harming oneself or others.

Mental health is an issue of such magnitude to me because of the consequences of lack of treatment. It is terrifying how fast someone can go from seemingly fine to almost unrecognizable due to their mental state. While I have not faced it myself, I have seen it happen far too often, with both family and friends. All the warning signs are just brushed off, all their cries for help are ignored, and by the time it is finally confronted, it is sometimes too late.

However, matters such as health are not as simple as a quick solution, thus the real problem lies in our attitudes and treatment, or lack thereof, towards these people. I believe that the first step to a solution is understanding and awareness, and we as a society barely have our foot in the door in those terms. Ignorance is the enemy of understanding, and to combat ignorance, we must maintain and fulfill knowledge. I would like to be a stepping stone in the direction of knowledge by getting a major in data science and a minor in psychology in order to go into a quantitative psychological field, such as statistics or data analysis, in order to study mental health and the human mind. With the information I gain, I can assist organizations or individuals in spreading awareness of what I have learned in order to develop an overall better understanding, as well as better attitudes, resources, and therapies.

These values will also take priority in my personal life. I will support politicians that will actually take action into helping the mentally ill and not just utilize them as a talking point. I will donate to charities and foundations with a focus on the depressed, the anxious, or the schizophrenic, and the prevention of suicide. I will support my acquaintances, friends, and family with their mental states.

We, as a species, face an innumerable amount of issues. It is time that we stop treating one of the most common as a shameful taboo.

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