Sophia Briceno
Professor Elizabeth Nappo
ENC 1102
December 2, 2022
Alternative Solution to Anxiety and Depression.
Anxiety and depression have been prevalent issues in the United States and other parts of the world since the beginning of time. Anxiety and depression, which manifest in a variety of ways, can have a negative impact on people of all ages. Despite the fact that the first person to develop an addiction has never been identified, it is a widely held belief (Freeman, 2020). It has exacted a significant toll on the younger generation in recent years, which is especially concerning given the ongoing global epidemic. Many people do not prioritize their mental health and do not believe it should be one of their primary concerns. When, in fact, one’s mental health is absolutely necessary in order to complete mundane tasks like going to class or working a job. As a result of increased focus on the topic from a wide range of fields, the state of people’s mental health has been elevated to the status of a critical problem in today’s society. Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, a sizable minority of people continue to believe that medication is the only way to treat mental health issues, despite the fact that the vast majority of people understand the importance of mental health (Ginsburg, 2020). This essay will coherently argue the alternative solutions to anxiety and depression. In that case, getting enough sleep and maintain a stable diet are the solutions other than medication that are discussed in below paragraphs.
Despite this, a significant number of people either do not give mental health the attention it deserves or do not believe it is all that important. Some people are also responsible for contributing to the stigma associated with mental illness. A little more than half of those polled in the General Social Survey in 2020 said they would not want a member of their family or a close friend to marry, work next to, or spend the night out with someone who had a mental illness (Knowles, 2020). People who have mental health issues may be hesitant to seek help because they are afraid of the stigma that may be attached to them if they do, which is a significant issue. The findings of this 2020 survey show that many American households continue to struggle with the concept of accepting mental health issues in their loved ones.
According to a 2020 statement from Zhang, “many people believe that people with mental illnesses are aggressive and dangerous.” In fact, they are more likely to be assaulted or to injure themselves than they are to cause harm to others. People suffering from mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression are less likely to seek alternative treatments and are more likely to rely on excessive medication if these stereotypes are perpetuated. I do not believe that these points of view are valid, and I believe that they are harmful to people seeking treatment. We can be thankful that there has been work done to bring attention to depression and other mental health issues.
Many researchers and psychologists have tried to figure out why using social media more is linked to getting depressed. A recent study of more than 500 8th–12th graders and a review of national data on suicide deaths for ages 13–18 showed that depressive symptoms, suicide outcomes, and the number of suicides were all 33 percent higher between 2010 and 2015. (Twenge et al., 2018). During the same time period as the study, the number of female teens who killed themselves rose by 65%. The study showed that young people who spent more time with new media like social media and tech gadgets like smartphones were more likely to have mental health problems. But the results showed that teens who spent less time in front of screens and did other things were more likely to improve their mental health. These non-traditional treatments for depression and anxiety have been shown to be effective, and the evidence supporting their efficacy is unequivocal and irrefutable. Studies conducted by prestigious institutions such as Harvard University and The Lancet Psychiatry, as well as our own personal experiences, have demonstrated that medication is not always the solution to mental health issues. We should not turn our backs on young people who are going through difficult emotional times; rather, we should show them that it is natural and appropriate to seek support from others. Especially given the current state of affairs, where it is unclear when life will return to normal. We must unite as a nation if we are not to be weakened by the difficulties we are currently facing. It could mean the difference between life and death for these children and their future children.
When it comes to finding solutions for mental health issues, a nutritionally sound diet is an essential component. I did not eat well during the epidemic. Fast food and takeout meals made up the vast majority of my diet. My parents encouraged me to change my eating habits and live a healthier lifestyle after they noticed. This is probably why I was always exhausted and uninspired: when they noticed, they urged me to change my eating habits and live a healthier lifestyle. I didn’t want to do it at first, but I realized that if I didn’t, the situation would worsen. I was surprised to discover that after only a few weeks, I was beginning to notice improvements in both my behavior and my mood. This is supported by an essay written by Harvard Medical School Professor Eva Selhub (Eysenck, 2018) “Your brain, like an expensive automobile, may be destroyed if you drink anything other than premium gasoline,” she said. “If you drink anything other than premium gasoline, your brain may be destroyed.” What you put into your body influences not only your mood and energy levels, but also your cognitive performance. “Eating high-quality meals with plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress,” she says. The “waste” produced by the body’s use of oxygen may be harmful to cells, according to her, and she recommends “eating high-quality meals with plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.” According to Mental Health America, people who are deficient in vitamin D are more likely to experience depression than the general population. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that typically begins in the fall, lasts through the winter, and improves as soon as the weather warms up. Dieting is a simple and quick method for significantly improving your health and well-being.
One of the many reasons to seek out alternative treatments is the possibility that taking too much medication to treat anxiety and depression can sometimes worsen the condition. When we are alone with our thoughts, we may be able to convince ourselves that everything is fine and that there is nothing to worry about in terms of our mental health. As a result of the global epidemic, I, for one, have only recently begun to give mental health the attention it deserves. I was surprised at how mentally draining it was to spend the entire day alone in my house. Other people’s repeated comments that I appeared exhausted and distracted jolted me awake to the reality of the situation. After hearing what they had to say, I realized that I needed to make some changes to the way I had been conducting myself up to this point. As an example, make sure you get enough sleep every night. According to a Stanford Medicine School study, the vast majority of high school students in the United States (more than 87 percent, according to the most recent national survey) sleep far less than the recommended eight to ten hours per night. They also use the story of a young woman named Carolyn Walworth to demonstrate their point. Carolyn Walworth, seventeen, usually reaches her breaking point around 11 p.m. and sobs uncontrollably (Mental Health Foundation, 2020). For the next ten minutes, she does nothing but sit in her seat and cry because the constant pressures at school are too much for her to bear. She needs to sleep a lot because she is exhausted. She will have additional assignments to complete, whether in physics, mathematics, or French; however, she is aware that she must persevere. She usually goes to bed between midnight and 12:30 a.m. This girl’s inability to sleep was obviously causing her a great deal of emotional distress, and getting a good night’s rest is one of the most important things in the world. In 2016, The Lancet Psychiatry researchers collaborated with 26 institutions in the United Kingdom to conduct a randomized controlled trial of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for students suffering from depression. Students who received the treatment and maintained a consistent sleeping routine were found to be less likely to suffer from insomnia, depression, and anxiety. “Sleep is essential—it is as necessary to our bodies as eating, drinking, and breathing, and it is critical for maintaining excellent mental and physical health,” writes O’Sullivan (2016). It’s difficult to overestimate the value of a good night’s sleep every night.
Works Cited
Eysenck, M. W., & Fajkowska, M. (2018). Anxiety and depression: toward overlapping and distinctive features. Cognition and Emotion, 32(7), 1391-1400.
Foundation, Mental Health. “Stigma and Discrimination.” Mental Health Foundation, 10 Feb. 2020.
Freeman, D., Sheaves, B., Waite, F., Harvey, A. G., & Harrison, P. J. (2020). Sleep disturbance and psychiatric disorders. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(7), 628-637.
Ginsburg, Larry. “Why Routines Are Important for Mental Health – Behavioral Health, COVID19, Featured, Health Topics.” Hackensack Meridian Health, 2 June 2020.
Knowles, K. A., & Olatunji, B. O. (2020). Specificity of trait anxiety in anxiety and depression: Metaanalysis of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Clinical Psychology Review, 82, 101928.
O’Sullivan, Chris. “The Importance of Sleep.” Mental Health Foundation, 14 Oct. 2016.
Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Martin, G., & Rogers, M. L. (2018). Amount of time online is problematic if it displaces face-to-face social interaction and sleep.
Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., Ma, X., & Di, Q. (2020). Mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemics and the mitigation effects of exercise: a longitudinal study of college students in China. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(10), 3722.
