Persuasive Essay On Mental Health

In an article published by the Huffington Post it is reported that “the suicide rate for girls ages 15 to 19 doubled from 2007 to 2015… The suicide rate for boys ages 15 to 19 increased by 30 percent over the same time-period (Holmes).” In 2014, the number of people from the ages of 15 to 24 who committed suicide was so high it became the 2nd leading cause of death for people at this age. But why is that? As teenagers we put our emotions on the “back burner” because we are scared of being judged and invalidated. Because of this, teen depression rates are on the rise. What we do not realize is that mental health is just as important as physical health which is why teenagers should invest in their mental health accessing resources available in the community.

Today 1 in 5 kids in the U.S. show signs of mental illness, however 80% of those who suffer do not receive the help they often need (Anderson and Cardoza), meaning they suffer in silence. In addition, we as teenagers often don’t know the signs of serious mental health problems instead symptoms are perceived as “just one of those days.” But what if “one of those days” last for a week? A few weeks? Months? Then what? If mental illnesses go untreated it can drastically impact a person’s life: falling behind in classes, chronic absences, missing extracurriculars, or even becoming detached from the people they care the most about. All of these things just lead to a downward spiral and everything just gets worse and worse.

It