6 NEWS
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017
ADDRESS
THE STRESS
Medical professionals and mental
health organizations bring attention to
the many millions suffering.
BY TIMOTHY BRAVO / el Don
While many people may fail to recognize
and understand mental illness, for others,
these health issues are a daily reality. In an
effort to encourage awareness and assistance,
mental health organizations and healthcare
professionals unite each May to promote Na-
tional Mental Health Awareness Month.
In the United States, one in five adults and
children ages 13 to 18 experience mental
illness. According to the National Institute of
Mental Health, in 2015 suicide was the second
leading cause of death in youth ages 15 to 24.
Of those who died by suicide, 90 percent had
an underlying mental illness.
“Sixty million people in the United States
face the day-to-day reality of living with a
mental illness,” said Mary Giliberti, cheif exec-
utive officer of the National Alliance of Mental
Illness. “Mental Health Month is a time for us
all to come together, to inspire people, raise
awareness and become involved so we can
build better lives for millions of people with
mental illness.”
Mental Health Month began in 1949
through the work of Mental Health America, a
leading community-based, non-profit organi-
zation dedicated to addressing the needs of the
mentally afflicted.
Every year, Mental Health America focuses
on a different theme for Mental Health Month.
This year, the theme is “Risky Business,” an
effort to educate people on the habits and
behaviors of mental illness, as well as those
that increase the risk of developing mental
illnesses. These include marijuana use, dan-
gerous sex, prescription drug misuse, internet
addiction and exessive spending, according to
the MHA website.
“Living with mental illnesses is not easy.
Some days I feel like I can do anything, but
when my depression overcomes me I feel
worthless and l do not want to get out of bed,”
Santa Ana College student Veronikah DeLa-
Cruz said. DeLaCruz was diagnosed with
depression and general anxiety disorder at the
age of 15.
“When it’s my anxiety, I am in a state of pan-
ic. I cannot breathe. It is scary sometimes. I
have had to go to the hospital because I could
not get my anxiety under control,” she said.
To cope with the obstacles set by her mental
illness, DeLaCruz relies on her strong sup-
port system, and encourages others suffering
from mental illness to seek help and find the