Kaitlyn Thomas

Professor Tyler

English 1201

06 December 2020
Mental Health Today

According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, half of all cases of

mental health disorders start showing signs as young as 14 years old and less than 20% actually

get the help they need. Have you ever wondered why? In the past, mental health disorders were

never spoken about and if they were they were stigmatized. In this paper, I’m going to talk about

many facts and statistics regarding all of the different types of mental health and why I believe

social media has had an impact on the mental health of young children.

When a person hears mental health, what is the first word that comes to mind? Unstable?

Attention-seeking? Unable to cope with reality and the world? All of these stigmas are false.

Mental health is such a wide range of different categories including anxiety, depression, bipolar

and other mood disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. Although these are not all

of the different types of mental illness, they are some of the most common and well known.
 Eating disorders are a very serious and intense mental health disorder that affects 9% of

the US population. It can range from a person eating too much food or not eating enough in a

day. There are three types of eating disorders: Binge-eating, Anorexia-Nervosa, and Bulimia.

Eating disorders not only affect a person’s mental state but can severely damage their physical

state. It causes a person’s body to not receive the proper amount of nutrients and can also lead to

kidney and heart issues. Many people who are affected by this start off with other underlying

mental health issues that lead to them developing an eating disorder. Social media outlets, like

Instagram, have given some people a false reality. Seeing other people online that look and seem

perfect creates a negative self image for many people. Sadly, the majority of people who struggle

with an eating disorder are young. “In fact, up to 13% of youth may experience at least one

eating disorder by the age of 20.” (Petre, 2019)

Binge eating disorder is described as consuming an excessive amount of food in a short

period of time. Symptoms can include: Eating when you're not hungry, eating until

uncomfortably full then causing you to become distressed, ashamed or guilty, eating alone or in
secret to avoid embarrassment. This eating disorder can begin in early adolescence and is more

common in women than men. Binge eating is the most common form of eating disorders in the

United States. People who suffer from this often are overweight for their particular age and

height class. They may suffer from or increase their risk for type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease,

and excessive weight gain. The difference with binge eating compared to other eating disorders

is no purging is done.

Anorexia- nervosa is the most common known eating disorder and affects more than 4%

of women and young adolescents and only one third of those suffering will receive treatment.

Symptoms for Anorexia-nervosa can include : being considerably underweight compared with

people of similar age and height, very restricted eating patterns, an intense fear of gaining weight

or persistent behaviors to avoid gaining weight despite being underweight, a relentless pursuit of

thinness and unwillingness to maintain a healthy weight, a heavy influence of body weight or

perceived body shape on self-esteem, a distorted body image, including denial of being seriously

underweight.(Petre, 2019). People suffering from anorexia often count every calorie, avoid

certain foods, constantly monitor their weight and also purge. Sometimes people can also begin

to suffer from OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) because they will begin to obsess over food

and calories. Long term effects of this disorder can be extreme. They include the thinning of the

bones, infertility, brittle hair and nails and even in some cases, heart, brain and multiple-organ

failure and death.

Bulimia is a combination of anorexia and binge eating as the person typically consumes

an excessive amount of food and then purges the food. Forms on purging can include, vomiting,

taking laxatives, excessive exercising , diuretics and enamas. Common symptoms of bulimia

include recurrent episodes of binge eating with a feeling of lack of control, recurrent episodes of
inappropriate purging behaviors to prevent weight gain,a self-esteem overly influenced by body

shape and weight,a fear of gaining weight, despite having a normal weight (Petre, 2019). People

who suffer from this eating disorder are usually able to maintain their normal weight without

becoming under/overweight. After effects of binge eating can include a sore and inflamed

throat, swollen salivary glands, worn down tooth enamel, tooth decay, acid reflux, irritation,

severe dehydration and hormonal imbalances. Bulimia can lead to an imbalance in electrolytes

which then can lead to a stroke or heart attack.

Anxiety can be described as the feelings of fear and uneasiness and can be categorized

into seven different types: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), panic disorder, specific

phobias, agoraphobia, selective mutism, social anxiety and separation anxiety. For this paper

however, we will just be discussing the three most commonly known subgroups of anxiety,

which will include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety.

Anxiety is common and can be healthy when treated properly. It becomes an intense medical

issue when the person is routinely feeling anxious and it becomes hard for them to function .

Triggers can include a stressful event at work, a final exam or project at school, or making an

important decision. General symptoms of anxiety can include excessive nervousness, fear,

uneasiness, constant worrying, increased irritability, feeling “on-edge”, and difficulties sleeping.

There has been a direct correlation between social media usage and anxiety. When using social

media people tend to compare themselves to others online. This creates feelings of inadequacy,

which can increase a person's risk for experiencing abnormal anxiety about themselves. Anxiety

affects more than 40 million in the US and only 36% of people recieve treatment for this

disorder. (Browne, 2020)

or overwhelming event. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is the most common of the subgroups of

Anxiety Disorders. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are more than 30 million cases

diagnosed in the US each year. GAD is described as the persistent feeling and excessive

worrying about any different number of things.”People with GAD may anticipate disaster and

may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues. Individuals with

GAD find it difficult to control their worry. They may worry more than seems warranted about

actual events or may expect the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern.

(ADAA.org, 2020). People who suffer from this anxiety might struggle to get through the day

because the list of things in their head that they need to complete are just too overwhelming. One

of the biggest battles that people will go through with GAD is not being able to exactly pinpoint

what is triggering their anxiety to be brought on. GAD can be minor and allow people to

normally function throughout the day and lead very normal lives and in other cases it can cause

people to not be able to function day to day and become very debilitating.
 Panic disorders are the sudden onset fear of disaster or losing control and can thus trigger

what’s called a panic attack, which can turn into a serious health situation if not treated properly.

Panic attacks look different for many people. Some can be debilitating and others can go through

panic attacks in public settings and can go unnoticed by others surrounding the person. “Physical

symptoms during a panic attack, such as a pounding or racing heart, sweating, chills, trembling,

breathing problems, weakness or dizziness, tingly or numb hands, chest pain, stomach pain, and

nausea, an intense worry about when the next panic attack will happen, a fear or avoidance of

places where panic attacks have occurred in the past” (NIMH 2020). No one really knows

exactly what causes panic attacks but some scientists believe it can run in families, or just even

be as simple as chemical imbalance in the brain.

Depression is described as a medical health disorder by a persistent depressed mood and

loss of interest in daily activities. Depression can be broken down into many different subgroups

just like anxiety can but for this paper we will only be discussing major depressive disorder,

persistent disorder and bipolar disorder. This disorder can be brought on from any number of

things from brain chemistry, family genetics and hormones. It’s very hard to pinpoint one

specific risk factor but the chances of a person developing a form of depression can increase if

they suffer from low self-esteem, other psychological disorders such as anxiety, physical or

sexual abuse, chronic diseases, alcohol or drug abuse, age, gender, and geography location.

Being well liked or popular is something that many people find enjoyable and crave. When

people get on Facebook or other social media outlets and don’t have the praise and admiration

that others receive, they start to believe something is wrong with themselves. Seeing other people

on social media hanging out with friends or going on lavish vacations can create a feeling of

isolation and loneliness. These things can lead to an increased risk of depression. “Mental Health
America reports that 30 to 70 percent of those who have died by suicide have depression or

bipolar disorder (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018)”.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or clinical depression is when a person has a spell of

feeling low or sad lasting for over a two week period. Symptoms for MDD can include the

following, or loss of energy almost every day, feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every

day, impaired concentration, indecisiveness, insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)

almost every day, markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every

day (called anhedonia, this symptom can be indicated by reports from significant others),

restlessness or feeling slowed down, recurring thoughts of death or suicide, significant weight

loss or gain (Browne, 2020). An average of 16.2 adults in American are diagnosed each year

with MDD. In order for someone to be diagnosed they must meet 5 of the symptoms listed

above.

Persistent Depression Disorder (PDD) is a continuous chronic form of depression.

Symptoms can include ongoing feelings of deep sadness and feeling hopeless, low energy in

daily activities and indecision. This affects approximately 1.6 million people in the US and it is

more common in women than men. The major difference between PDD and MDD is that people

with major depressive disorder will have a two month period or more at a time symptom free.

People who suffer from PDD have a continuous spout of symptoms that last for two years or

more.

Personality is described as a way of thinking, feeling and behaving that makes a person

unique and different from others. Personality is something that is heavily influenced by that

person’s life experiences, environment that they live in and typically doesn’t change over time.
When a person suffers from a personality disorder, their way of thinking and understanding

society’s “norms” are altered and last for an extended period of time causing disturbances and

problems functioning in society. There are ten different types of personality disorders: Antisocial

Personality Disorder, Aviodent Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder,

Dependent Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality

Disorder, Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder, Schizoid

Personality Disorder and Schizotypal Personality Disorder. People online have a false sense of

their own reality. They are trying to create the perfect life for themselves online instead of real

life. Sometimes people become so absorbed in their online image that they lose sight of who they

really are. Narcissistic personality disorder is when a person has an exaggerated sense of self

worth and an excessive need for praise. We see these characteristics in many “influencers”

online today. In order for a person to be diagnosed with one the personality orders listed above,

they must meet two of the following requirements and also be above the age of 18 because any

younger and their personalities are still developing : “way of thinking about oneself and others,

way of responding emotionally, way of relating to other people, way of controlling one’s

behavior(Robitz, 2018)”. In this paper however I will only be discussing 2 of the 10 types of

personality disorders.

Antisocial personality disorder is described as a lack of empathy and regard for others.

People who suffer from this disorder are unable to sympathize with society and often act out in

aggressive and criminal behavior. Warning signs in ASPD can begin showing early in children

and can be seen in ways of setting fires, cruelty to animals and inability to show emotion. People

with this disorder typically have trouble with the law because they are unable to conform to

society’s way of discipline and act out aggressively. “According to the DSM-V, 0.2% to 3.3% of
U.S. adults have antisocial personality disorder and the condition tends to affect men more than

women (Robitz, 2018)”.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is described as the inability to regulate one's

emotions. People who suffer from this disorder feel emotions so intensely and have an even

bigger issue of being able to get their body to return back to normal baseline. The inability to

return back to the body's normal baseline can lead to impulsivity, low self esteem, and very

rocky and unstable relationships. Over four million people in the United States have been

diagnosed with BPD and are statistically higher in women than men. Women account for 75% of

those numbers and are more known to seek treatment and get help so this could aid in the

number.

Psychotic Disorders is a disorder of the mind and the ability to think clearly and

rationally, respond rationally and make good decisions and judgement calls. Symptoms of this

disorder can range from hallucinations and delusions to inability to connect emotionally and

seem cold and detached to people and things. When the symptoms get very bad and extreme,

people who suffer from this will be unable to function in a normal day to day life and seem

detached, distraught and distant. There are two different types of this disorder, Schizophrenia and

Schizoaffective disorder.

There are so many different types of mental health issues that present themselves in

people at a young age. In today’s society we have seen a spike in mental health issues among

young people as well as kids younger and younger getting involved in social media. The media

has been able to glamourize mental health issues on a wide variety of platforms including

Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, etc. Children that are still in elementary school are beginning to use
these apps and expose themselves to some of the very damaging effects. On Instagram there are

hundreds of pages for girls with Anorexia. The pages are full of women who praise each other

for being able to see their bones protruding out and for not eating for days at a time. On the other

hand, there are women who praise other women for being unhealthy weights. Although body

positivity is something that is important, praising unhealthy habits is not something that should

be accepted and praised. On Tik Tok young girls post videos on how to lose weight by barely

eating anything in a day. These videos often go viral and are instilling unhealthy and unrealistic

habits that promote mental illness. Twitter is a platform that is used by an older generation of

college aged students and glorifies having depression and anxiety and makes it out to be a

personality trait. These are all unhealthy coping mechanisms for people who struggle with

mental health and they are also teaching people without mental health issues that it is normal. As

stated previously, half of all cases of mental health disorders start showing signs as young as 14

years old and less than 20% actually get the help they need. Young children are being exposed to

these harmful materials online from such a young age, and absorbing it all. Many of them are not

being diagnosed with mental health disorders because in their eyes they are just like everyone

else online. Mental health disorders are becoming the new normal. I believe that if there isn’t a

dramatic change and emphasis on the correlation of social media and mental health soon, many

more will suffer from these disorders.

East, Patricia. “Journal of Child and Family Studies.” Springer, 2 Dec. 2010,

www.springer.com/journal/10826.

Hollis, Rachel. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are so You

Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be. Nelson Books, an Imprint of Thomas Nelson,

2020.

Maxwell, Victoria. “How to Help Your Adult Child If They Have a Mental Illness.”

Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 25 Sept. 2015,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/crazy-life/201509/how-help-your-adult-child-if-

they-have-mental-illness

“What Is Mental Health?” Edited by the US Department of Health, What Is Mental

Health? MentalHealth.gov, 28 May 2020, www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-

health.

Abers, Tina. “The Age of Exploration.” Prezi.com, 3 June 2013,

prezi.com/fjj4edu89dn3/the-age-of-exploration/.

Bhandari, Smitha. “Major Depression (Clinical Depression) Symptoms, Treatments, and

More.” WebMD, WebMD, 13 Sept. 2020, www.webmd.com/depression/guide/major-

depression.

Browne, Dillion. “Anxiety: Symptoms, Types, Causes, Prevention, and Treatment.”

Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 11 Jan. 2020,

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323454.
Casarella, Jennifer. “Psychotic Disorders: Types, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment.”

WebMD, WebMD, 17 July 2020, www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/mental-health-

psychotic-disorders.

Casarella, Jennifer. “Schizoaffective Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment.”

WebMD, WebMD, 4 Sept. 2019, www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/mental-health-

schizoaffective-disorder.

Cherry, Kendra. “Symptoms and Treatment Options for Antisocial Personality Disorder.”

Verywell Mind, 24 July 2020, www.verywellmind.com/antisocial-personality-disorder-

2795566.

“Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).” Anxiety and Depression Association of America,

ADAA, adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad.b

Koskie, Brandi. “Depression: Facts, Statistics, and You.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 3

June 2020, www.healthline.com/health/depression/facts-statistics-infographic.

Mammoser, Gigen. “Social Media Increases Depression and Loneliness.” Healthline,

Healthline Media, 10 Dec. 2018, www.healthline.com/health-news/social-media-use-

increases-depression-and-loneliness.

Of Mental Health, National Institute. “What Are Personality Disorders?” What Are

Personality Disorders?, 2016, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/personality-

disorders/what-are-personality-disorders.
Robinson, Lawrence. “Social Media and Mental Health.” HelpGuide.org, Saaniya Aamir, 7

Mar. 2019, www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm.

Staff, Mayo Clinic. “Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo

Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 8 Dec. 2018,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/persistent-depressive-disorder/symptoms-

causes/syc-20350929.