Mental illness: The Real Enemy

A good Mental health is the foundation for living a happy and well fufilled life. It is where our  emotions, thinking, communication, learning, resilience and self-esteem build their foundation in.
Mental health is also key to relationships, personal and emotional well-being and contributing to community or society as our state of well being determines how we relate to those close to us and the world at large.
The American Psychiatric Association defines Mental illnesses as health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.
Many people who have a mental illness do not want to talk about it, either because they are scared of being mocked at or discriminated. Therefore, they wear a fake smile. Looking at them, one would think their life is great and awesome and they don't have any problem of some sort. Some of these people are Celebrities who are well famous. But mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of! It is a medical condition, just like heart disease or diabetes. And just as such are treatable, mental health conditions are also treatable. Everyday, Medical practitioners are continually expanding their understanding of how the human brain works, and treatments are available to help people successfully manage mental health conditions.
Mental illness does not discriminate; it is not a respecter of status or title. It can affect anyone regardless of your age, gender, geography, income, social status, race/ethnicity, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, background or other aspect of cultural identity. While mental illness can occur at any age, three-fourths of all mental illness begins by age 24.
Mental illnesses take many forms. Some are mild and only interfere in limited ways with daily life, such as certain phobias (abnormal fears). Other mental health conditions are so severe that a person may need care in a hospital. Examples of serious mental illness include major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
There are various things that contributes to Mental illness, one major component is stress; Mental stress. This is a form of stress that occurs because of how events in one’s external or internal environment are perceived, resulting in the psychological experience of distress and anxiety (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Mental stress is often accompanied by physiological responses (Cacioppo, 1994). Stress can increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks, ulcers, and mental illnesses such as depression and may eventually lead to suicide.
Humans perceive things as threatening, when they do not believe that their resources for coping with obstacles (stimuli, people, situations, etc.) are enough for what the circumstances demand. When people think the demands being placed on them exceed their ability to cope, they then perceive stress.
Students are more prone to Mental stress as they are constantly placed in situations in which they are liable to have a mental breakdown. One solid example is a 300 level student identified as Ephraim Imahodor who committed suicide by jumping off the 2nd floor of the Faculty of Art building in University of Benin on the eve of 14th July 2019. The deceased was said to be a student of the department of Actuarial Science, Faculty of Management sciences and he was asked to withdraw from the University due to his poor academic performance. It is possible that he may have processed the situation, thought about how his parents would be disappointed, his peers will probably call him bad names when they see him on the street, amongst others and he couldn't bear the thought and decided suicide was the easiest way.
There are many others like Ephraim, who are faced with situation they cannot bear or live with and are scared to open up to others. There are people who get depressed from a failed love life, broken family, bullying and many others. Some of these people leave hints; a sad depressive post on social media, avoiding friends and family, staying alone etc. Some of these people are experienced in hiding how they feel. They smile during the day and weep at night. Therefore, it is important we check up on our friends and family and inquire on their well being. It is also necessary not to carry things on our minds alone, share your thoughts, problems and situation, as a heavy mind is prone to stress and depression.