I’ve noticed that people are more open to talking about the mental health needs of themselves and others since last year’s World Mental Health Day. Yes, we’re looking at you, Michelle Obama, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, Owen Wilson, and Bella Hadid. who all disclosed or expounded their struggles with mental health issues in the media during the past year. While some got a little more publicity than others, they all have helped “normalize” mental health issues.
I’ve notice my social media feed — that maybe because I’m such a mental health kinda guy, though — is full of people disclosing their own mental health issues, struggles with mental health, and reaching out to support others. So, if you’ve got a mental health story that you’d like to tell go ahead and put it in the comments. Hell, I’m autistic and tell anyone who will sit still long enough and even a few that won’t. Of course, that usually means shouting at them as they flee out of sight with Ma Belle Femme giving me the evil eye for causing a “scene.” Don’t be like me. You’re not scoring points for mental health acceptance by doing it that way. But, letting us know in the comments, is, so it’s okay.
We are talking more and more openly about mental health issues, which is good, but it ain’t good enough. Not yet. And, if it ain’t good enough in the US, Canada, Europe, and other developed Western Countries, then it sure as shit ain’t anywhere near good enough in the developing world.
So, mosey on over to the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Day page and see what they’ve got in terms information and things that we can all do. TL;DR? Well, Ye Olde Blogge has got ya with a bit of a summary here. This year’s theme is Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality and be sure to use the hashtag, #WorldMentalHealthDay on all your social media posts.
Mental Health Care for All: Let’s Make it a Reality
Fun Mental Health Facts
We’ll start off easy with some “fun” facts about mental health in the world. Yeah, as if there’s anything fun about mental health issues.
- A billion: At any given time, it is estimated that a billion people — that’s an eighth of the world’s population (we got about eight billion, y’all, for all y’all who are adverse to math) — are suffering from a mental health disorder.
- Any time, any where, any one: No one is immune from mental health disorders. They cut across all socio-economic boundaries and barriers. The only real difference is how accessible and acceptable getting treatment is. The only real tragedy is when people who clearly need treatment refuse to get it — ahem, Donald Trump.
- 300 million: It is estimated that 5% of the world’s adult population suffers from depression. Depression is the number one cause of disability in the world, y’all, and ain’t nobody’s employer respect, I ain’t comin’ in today cuz I’m depressed.
- One in one hundred: Suicide accounts for one percent of all the deaths in the world every year. So, when everyone at work is wringing their hands and mumbling about if they only knew after somebody commits suicide. Well, that’s on you. You shoulda had a work environment where I’m too depressed to work was okay to say.
- One trillion US dollars: The economic cost of anxiety and depression alone amounts to $1 trillion US dollars. Anxiety and depression are the two most prevalent mental health disorders in the world.
- Two percent: On average countries spend about two percent of their national health budgets on mental health and that ain’t changed since it achieved that milestone and we all patted ourselves on the back for how PC and woke we were or whatever it was we were calling it back then.
- One for five: For every dollar spent on scaling up the medication, talk therapy, or combination therapy for depression and anxiety, you get a return of five dollars. That’s a pretty damn good return, too bad, ain’t no one figured out how to make a profit off of it yet.
- One for seven: For every dollar spent on treating drug dependency, society gains seven dollars in reduced costs due to crime and jurisprudence costs. So, where’s the profit motive in that? How’s the prison-industrial complex going to profit off that investment, hunh? Not so smart now, are you? Just remember, profits are people, too, my friend, and they have RIGHTS! Just ask the John Roberts Court!
We all know mental health issues are serious. We all know they are widespread. Hell, we’ve all experienced them at one time or another. I mean, who hasn’t thought of suicide a time or two? Who hasn’t found themselves unhappy, unmotivated, and unable to perform at some point? Who hasn’t found it difficult to sleep for worry and then been unable to focus on the very tasks that could ease the worry? That, my friend, is anxiety. It makes it impossible for you to do what you need to do to reduce your anxiety. It’s an exhausting cycle, and it’s no wonder many people end up committing suicide because they see no way out of it.
How to Get Everyone the Help They Need
Of course, to get us to this wonderland where we can locate and treat everyone in the world with mental health disorders, we’ll need political leadership.
Okay. Okay. Quit laughing.
Okay. I can give you another minute, but then we have to move on.
Really. Quit laughing.
Seriously. I’ve got to finish this blog post.
Don’t wet yourself.
You’re starting to worry me.
The WHO recommends universal health coverage…
Dammit. You’ve got to get control of yourself. Stop laughing.
We’re never going to get anywhere with making mental health treatments accessible to all who need them if you just keep losing it every time we try to have a serious discussion about what it will take.
Election 2022: The Argument for Pessimism
That’s really the issue, isn’t it? The US is on the wrong trajectory to actually help with any of this. We’re fighting to maintain a semblance of democracy and not default on our debt. The Republican Party is looking to lead a world-wide regressive conservative movement that is looking to squeeze every last farthing out of every last citizen so that the one percent can tighten their grip on lives of every last one of us to milk us even faster for every last fathering and when we no longer can contribute more than we take from the system, our time is up and it’s off to the gulag with you to die quickly and quietly.
Mental health treatment ain’t cheap or easy or guaranteed, so anyone needing investment up front probably ain’t going to get much interest from the one percent. Mental health issues aren’t high on their agenda.
Seriously, folks, we’ve got to make 2022 about governance and delivery of services. I just don’t see how we get there from here as long as we have the millstone of Citizens United around our necks.
Man, I’ve driven what should’ve been a hopeful look at the butterflies and everything is coming up roses post straight into the depressing ground. Sorry. If you’ve got any bright ideas, though, I’d love to hear them… in the comments, of course.
If you enjoyed this discussion of how the WHO plans on getting mental health care and treatment to everyone who needs it, you should consider doing one or more of the following:
- Comment: Everyone has a mental health story to tell, why not tell yours in our comments? Join the crowd that will be doing it. It’ll be fun. You don’t even have to include your real name…
- Like: Liking is fun and easy, just hit the button after this post.
- Rate: Surely the snark alone is worth a five-star rating. I mean, this baby has a double heaping-helping of gratuitous and necessary snark.
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- Follow: Hover your mouse in the lower right-hand corner and the follow button magically pops up. It is magically delicious.
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Image Attribution
“169.366 Mental Health” by HelenHates Peas is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
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Categories: Mental Health
The Psy of Life 
Reblogged this on cabbagesandkings524 and commented:
Calico Jack reminds us of World Mental Health Day
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I wasn’t laughing until you told us to stop. I was thinking about a quote (in reference to you “making a scene”)
“One of the problems, hanging out with me, is that I can turn any topic into a toxic horror story. I’ve lost two girlfriends and a job by reading an ingredients label out loud, with annotations, at the wrong time.” – Neal Stephenson
Having spent about 20 years working in the (or, what passes for) mental health care system, I have lots of mental health and illness stories – other people’s. I’ve put a few of them on my blog in it’s early days, names changed and such to protect whomever and preserve confidentiality.
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Howdy Bob!
Everyday, I give thanks to whatever is out there absorbing all of our gratitude and well wishes that Ma Belle Femme and La Petite Fille are in my life. The daughter still doesn’t have many choices, but the wife, it’s her choice everyday. Why she continues to make it, I don’t know, but I’m grateful.
“…at the wrong time in the wrong way” could be the inscription on my tombstone. Probably the title to my obituary.
You and me both brother. There are tales to tell. Like they tell us in group therapy, you don’t fraternize outside of the group because you want that energy to be used in the group, you write about, especially on the blog, the topics you have energy and passion for are the ones you write about. Once it’s gone, you don’t have the interest in writing about any more. That’s me and Trump’s narcissism. I’m done with it, even though it is still pertinent… and still being considered for a future blog post.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Hmmm – It must be that thing called love.
Trump’s Narcissism is pretty thoroughly plowed ground, but it seems to have been almost as contagious as COVID. There are even GOP politicians who thing they have to pretend they’ve got it who may not be naturally qualified.
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Howdy Bob!
I think he’s made it safe to openly sadistic and vindictive and that’s brought out the dark tetrad personalities. It’s like moths to a bug light. It’s also driven away any who are not so inclined. So that all you’re left with are the hangers on looking for an advantage for themselves, the grifters, and the dark tetrad who are trying to do real harm.
Huzzah!
Jack
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And, that is built upon as system of commercial advertising that plays intensely on narcissistic insecurity about social status, appearance, and sexual fantasy.
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Which is built on a very shaky foundation of constant expansion of sales to make a profit; thus, our throw away culture, which includes throw away people whether they are consumers or workers.
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And throw away environment, resources, and finally, democracy.
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We’re rich; we can afford to waste a few natural resources.
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And again, America in particular never got over the illusion of a continent of inexhaustible everything.
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I’m reminded of an interview of a Brazilian farmer who claimed that the Amazon rainforest was inexhaustible and that god had put it there for us to use, so he would continue clearcutting to expand his farm holdings. The illusion that we can go on forever continually expanding and using more is one that will come to an ugly end.
Jack
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I remember a certain GOP congresswoman from Minnesota who said that we would never run out of oil and gas because God would fill it back up when it got low. We have a name for a body part or tissue which gets the idea that it can grow infinitely. We call it “cancer”. There are two readings of the part in Genesis where God tells Adam and Eve their role in regard to the world, “Dominion” and “Stewardship”. Theologians can debate whether the deity created the world for us, or us for it. Ecologists and systems thinkers are clear about their answer. Politicians and the greedy favor the other.
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