Mental health is a bit of a hot topic these days. People are discussing it all over the place, celebrities are coming clean about their struggles with mental health, and new forms of therapy are branching out everywhere.

One might think that this indicates that mental health statistics are improving. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, it seems like more and more people are becoming aware of mental health treatment not because the problem is improving, but because it’s worsening, especially among youth.

Why Is Everyone Talking About Mental Health?

People are talking about mental health all over the globe. In some respects, this is a good thing – it’s bringing awareness to the perceived stigma that many people believe in regards to mental health. But why exactly is this happening?

• Mental health is becoming more problematic. As more and more people develop mental health problems, more and more issues arise in the society that we live in. Consider, for a second, a workforce that grows increasingly more anxious or depressed. Satisfaction in the workplace will drop, employee termination will increase, and the only thing that could help would be bringing awareness to these problems.
• The mental health stigma is changing. A lot of things are working to improve upon the current stigma surrounding mental health. Over the last few years, it’s been considered something of a taboo to discuss things like anxiety or depression. This has made it difficult for people to decide to openly seek therapy or treatment for their issues, due to fear of being judged or labeled.
  Things like online counseling and celebrity endorsement of mental health treatment are starting to turn this stigma around. People are beginning to recognize that mental health isn’t a joke, it’s a serious issue that needs to be taken care of.
• It’s a sensitive topic. Like it or not, many media outlets report on topics that will get a powerful response from the public – and this means that they’ll make a point of reporting on topics that people are sensitive about, such as mental health.
  More and more news and media outlets are beginning to cover stories regarding mental health – and unfortunately, a lot of them aren’t stories with happy endings. Stories of people doing dangerous or irresponsible things as a result of their mental health has brought the issue into sight for many people.

How to Prevent Mental Health from Getting Worse

One of the things that needs to be recognized is that people just don’t always take counseling and therapy seriously. Counseling and therapy have survived for so long because they’re effective. 

When someone actually makes a point of seeking out professional help, they’re usually surprised about how much they can learn about themselves and their mental health. Counselors and therapists help provide the tools and skills that you can use to develop insight into your emotional health, so that you can live a long and happy live.