by Atoosa Torabizadeh

I am very emotionally attached to my family. I was born in a family where all the attentions were
on me because I was the only child and the only grandchild. We had lived with my grandparents
since I was born. My grandfather passed away five years ago, and it was _ and continues to be_
hard for me to believe that. I became depressed, and I was not able to do anything. He wasn’t too
old, and he didn’t have any specific health problems, so it was unbelievable that I couldn’t see
him anymore. I was afraid of losing other members of my family. I was in high school, and I
couldn’t even study. It bothered me more when I saw my father was suffering. I felt very bad
during that time. I still feel bad when I remember those days.
My mother took me to a psychologist, and I started treatment. The psychologist helped me a lot.
She talked to me for a few months and recognized my problem. She prescribed my medicine, and
I started the treatment. After a while, I felt like getting better. It was conducive to me. I am glad
that I did this.

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that affects how you feel, the way you think,
and how you act (1). Depression causes feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in activities you
once enjoyed (1). It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. (1) Depression doesn’t just affect the mind; it also affects the body, such as headaches, back pain, and bad sleep habits.

Depression is a common illness worldwide. Approximately 280 million people in the world have
depression. I think most teenagers and young people experience a short time of depression
throughout their lifetime. Depression is one of the most significant mental health challenges in
America. One out of five Americans experiences a mental illness each year. Depression affects
an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year, and one in six people will experience
depression at some time in their life. (1)

Depression has several risk factors:
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Personality
• Environmental factors

The percentage of adults who experience any symptoms of depression was highest among those
aged 18-29 (21.0%), followed by those aged 45-64 (18.4%), and lastly, by those aged 30-44
(16.8%) (2). Women were more likely than men to experience mild, moderate, or severe
symptoms of depression (2). Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression
than men (3). While major depression can develop at any age, the average age at onset is in the
mid-20s (3).

The National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health
organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness (4). NAMI is a vision of a world where all people affected by mental illness live healthy and happy and are supported by a community that cares. Treatment for mental illness varies by diagnosis and from person to person. Getting a diagnosis is an
essential first step. There’s no “one size fits all” treatment (4).

NAMI offers classes and training for people who have mental illnesses and their families.
National Alliance on Mental Illness provides a wealth of services. They provide intervention
treatment and financial support. They will help you to find a therapist to help treat your
depression. NAMI provides information about depression in books, blogs, and brochures. This
free organization is available 24/7 to speak with you by call or in person. You should find an excellent therapist to find your problem, and then the therapist will help you find a treatment that works best for you.

In my opinion, everyone needs a psychologist to talk with; this is the best way to deal with
problems and solve them. If you don’t have a therapist yet, it is better to find one. If you have a
therapist already, encourage other people to get one. While it is important to find the right type of therapy for you, it will be even more important to find the right therapist for you.

To find a good therapist you can go to the NAMI website and join as a member and get help
from them; it is a straightforward pathway to find a good therapist that fits your problem. You
can easily find a good therapist through the NAMI website with the “find a therapist” link on the
site.

NAMI has a virtual event taking place June 14-16. You can register on NAMI’s official website
for this virtual NAMICon 2022. It is only 10$ for students. This will be a good opportunity to
bring awareness, resources, and solutions to a wider audience of people affected by mental health
conditions-both nationally and globally (3).

Resources:

1. What is depression? https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is
   depression
2. Mental Health Disorder Statistics. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-
   and-prevention/mental-health-disorder-statistics
3. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://nami.org/About-Mental-Illness
4. National Center for Health Statistics.
   https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db379.htm