SEARCY, Ar. (LP) — Clinical depression or known as just depression is a very serious thing here in the United States. Not just the U.S. it’s a very serious thing everywhere in the world. Some people might experience depression and some people might not experience it. There are over 3 million cases reported of clinical depression in the United States alone each year. Over the years, it’s begun to rise more and more every year. With everything that’s happening in this world is making such a big impact. Looking at the records, the mental state of a patient at an insane asylum is recorded at the same level of a high school student. Everyone today looks at that being normal, with the amount of school work, shootings, and several other things in the U.S. happening on a daily basis many believe these are contributing factors causing the mental health and depression problems in the nation. “The Community Mental Health Act represented a major shift in federal policy. Prior to its passage, most resources were channeled towards institutional-based care. Rates of institutionalization had exploded over the prior half-century: by the mid-1950s, over half a million children and adults were institutionalized for mental illness. This number represented a thirteen-fold increase overall and a growth rate nearly five times that of the general population since the late 1800s.” With putting that into affect, we can’t even image of how much that number will double in the future for all of us. Depression has put millions and millions of people into very bad spots in their lifetime. Depression affects people from all walks of life, no matter what their background. It can affect people of all ages as well.

Unfortunately, there’s still a stigma that surrounds mental health issues, and some people view disorders such as depression as a weakness. But, similar to the way anyone can develop certain physical health issues, mental health issues aren’t always preventable. Understanding the latest depression statistics could increase awareness about mental health. Recognizing how widespread it is could also help reduce the stigma, which might encourage more people to seek treatment. This topic will also come along with the suicide prevention and awareness in the U.S. due to people wanting to end this suffering by taking their own life. Many people are coming together for this topic and very serious situations, people are coming out to tell their stories and maybe help someone. “We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.” With all of us being able to stop this crisis there’s hope that can and will happen, we can take action against this, and there are centers available for this. There are several things to be put into effect when one has this in their life. Always watch and look closely for all of these things listed below.

• Loss of relationship(s)
• Easy access to lethal means
• Local clusters of suicide
• Lack of social support and sense of isolation
• Stigma associated with asking for help
• Lack of healthcare, especially mental health and substance abuse treatment
• Cultural and religious beliefs, such as the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma
• Exposure to others who have died by suicide (in real life or via the media and Internet)

“Your always tired and anxious, but never happy and never feel good about yourself,” stated Ivan Choate a Searcy High School student. Choate has experienced depression and knows what the effects are. With experiencing several things to cause depression, whether it’s a death in real life or via the internet Choate has experienced these things. “No-one, under any circumstances should have to go through depression in their life time, it’s such a terrible thing for the body and mind”  Suicides in the U.S. have been on the rise, up 24 percent from 1990 through 2014, and the pace of the increase has been rising since 2006. Suicide has ranked as the 10th leading cause of death among Americans for many years, while homicide does not make the top 10. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the rate of suicide was the highest it had been in 25 years in 2013, and it continued to rise yearly after that.

The annual suicide rate in the U.S. is over 13 deaths per 100,000 population. “With all of things that’s happened and still happening really just make it worse for people with depression, and the people, doctors or whatever they are put you on medicine just to numb that pain temporarily.” Depression and suicide are linked, with an estimate that up to 60 percent of people who commit suicide have major depression. However, millions of Americans have depression and this figure doesn’t mean most people with depression will attempt suicide. “Depression is a common problem in the U.S. affecting men and women and many lifespans” stated Melissa Creameans a nurse at Unity Health. With Creameans studying this through nursing school at UCA, she has experienced this at times with patients but not seen a significant amount of it. “We need to be able to have open discussions related to depression. There is a stigma associated with a diagnosis of depression so many people do not seek help when needed. Untreated Depression can lead to many negative thoughts and suicide. We need to shed more light on the issue so people don’t feel like their alone” stated Melissa. With going through school for getting her license she has studied  this topic before. There are millions of people going through these classes to study and mental health is a very big thing in how it affects our well being. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and our time through adulthood. To conclude from showing all of the facts and inside views of mental depression from others I have got a very great view for this topic. There is one that has expanded their mind and has to experience this trauma before. She is working to make sure everyone has someone to talk and be able to work their ways through it. Mary Grace Parsley has made such a big impact on people here at SHS and many others. Here are some of her answers and thoughts she responded with towards the questions I asked her.

What is depression? Is depression a serious thing?

“Depression is pain that can affect you physically and mentally. By physically it can cause you to gain or lose weight, affect your sleep and hygiene, and also social life. Yes, depression is a very serious critical thing and can be affected by all ages. Ages that range from 8 years old and older.”

Should there be more light put on this issue?

“Any human-being regardless of whether dealing with depression or not should be receiving attention, care, and considerateness. Usually depression is a topic that can be very uncomfortable to speak on. However, there are ones who seem to speak about their depression more openly, which most of the time they are doing it for attention. Yes, those people are sad and do need attention, but they are not actually affected to the point where it’s an actual mental issue– which needs to come to an understanding to everybody.”

Should anyone have to go through this in their lifetime?

“No, depression is a very harmful thing for an individual. Depression is worse for teens because they are developing hormones and are having to experience emotions they never have before. Everyone goes through bad and uncomfortable emotions, but that doesn’t match up with actual depression. Depression starts with negative thoughts that lead to self-harm, and possibly suicidal thoughts, or suicide.”

Has depression affected you at some point in your life? How did you overcome it?

“I have experienced depression whenever I was about 9 years old and still have troubles with it to this day. But, I don’t think you can cure depression. You can avoid and numb your pain, but it will always be there. It can go away and easily come back. Finding your happiness in this world is not only challenging, but it is also very beneficial because it can help you define who you are as a person.”