Mental Health's impact on a successful education by Tulasi

Tulasi's entry into Varsity Tutor's February 2023 scholarship contest

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Mental Health's impact on a successful education by Tulasi - February 2023 Scholarship Essay

Millions of people in the U.S. are affected and diagnosed with mental illnesses each year, but not everyone receives the help they need and proceed to struggle with motivation. Finding happiness in doing little things is an aspect that is lacking in terms of pursuing an education. As reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 50% of youth receive the necessary medical treatment, 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, and 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14. Even though mental illnesses are universal, stigma prevails, creating reluctance and discomfort in seeking help. The understanding of mental illnesses has advanced, even though improvements can, and ought to be made. An example of how people are trying to reduce stigma is through social media. Social media has become a great space for positivity and education. Mental sicknesses should not be thought of differently from physical ailments. In truth, I believe the two are inseparable. The brain can be harmed like everything else in the body, hence when the brain is sick, it isn't confined to just the brain, it influences the entire body. For instance, substance abuse is exceptionally common and menacing because it interferes with the way neurons send, receive, and process signals via neurotransmitters, and this can result in cancer and lung or heart disease. Along with this, substance abuse creates the inability to handle stress, impulsivity, lack of empathy, and unaccountability.
I have spent the last 6 months promoting mental health awareness because 6.7% of individuals in the U.S. experience a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2020 which is sadly a substantial number of 17 million people. The main reason that I started this journey is because of my collaboration with The Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization. I was taught how drinking and drugs affect high schoolers and how drug abuse is a catalyst for the human loss of motivation to do anything. I am familiar with high schoolers that have dealt with substance abuse, and I know what type of effects it has. This personal experience relates to my completion of an online course in mental health training called The Be There Certification. I was awarded my certificate for the completion of its course which taught me to recognize someone struggling with their mental health and to support them safely and effectively in getting the help they deserve I was able to use this newfound knowledge and assist people that were victims of substance abuse. I also got a mental health consultant to approve of all my research on substance abuse so that I could create a social media campaign that strives to help teenagers who are suffering through drug abuse to make an impact on their lives and includes a Linktree to hotlines of many crucial organizations. Along with all these experiences, I was able to achieve 5th place in a competition for mental health promotion from The Official Texas HOSA, the largest organization for future healthcare professionals, and this connects back to how mental health conditions such as substance abuse creates depression and lack of motivation to be successful and pursue an education. If people took self-care seriously, they could positively impact to world through the advocation and promotion of this fundamental topic.
Numbers and statistics are extremely powerful tools for raising public awareness, stigma-busting, and advocating for better health care which can lead to an increase in the pursuit of education, which is a large factor of success. The benefits of quitting substance abuse consist of an increase in motivation to be successful. This follows back to the question of which soft skill has the biggest impact on successful education. My answer to the previous question mentioned would indubitably be mental health. As individuals, we should take mental health aspects more seriously than in the past because they truly do matter. “When the world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” – Malala Yousafzai, this quote resonates with me because even a single voice can help the world become a better place for victims of substance abuse. We should help victims of mental illnesses because it would improve our society and create more motivation to become successful in terms of education.

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