# data[].attributes.body
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vDzZCvLydjH7OswIN1IxmcqStiep84Pm/view?usp=sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Senior Choice Project Video

Senior Choice Project Video

# data[].attributes.headline
How does society play a role in developing mental illnesses?

# data[].attributes.subject
How does society play a role in developing mental illnesses?

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/03/mental-health-adults
Supermarket was published in 2019. The article “Metal Health Issues Increased Significantly in Young Adults Over Last Decade,” was written in 2019 and talks about mental health during the late 2010s. More adolescents and young adults in the late 2010s versus the mid-200s experienced serious psychological distress, major depression or suicidal thoughts/attempts. Cultural trends, electronic communication, and digital media in the past 10 years have changed social interactions affecting mood disorders. Increase in social media has a bigger impact on teens and young adults other than older adults.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WASHINGTON - The percentage of young Americans experiencing certain types of mental health disorders has risen significantly over the past decade, with no corresponding increase in older adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

"More U.S. adolescents and young adults in the late 2010s, versus the mid-2000s, experienced serious psychological distress, major depression or suicidal thoughts, and more attempted suicide," said lead author Jean Twenge, PhD, author of the book "iGen" and professor of psychology at San Diego State University. "These trends are weak or non-existent among adults 26 years and over, suggesting a generational shift in mood disorders instead of an overall increase across all ages."

The research was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

Twenge and her co-authors analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey that has tracked drug and alcohol use, mental health and other health-related issues in individuals age 12 and over in the United States since 1971. They looked at survey responses from more than 200,000 adolescents age 12 to 17 from 2005 to 2017, and almost 400,000 adults age 18 and over from 2008 to 2017.

The rate of individuals reporting symptoms consistent with major depression in the last 12 months increased 52 percent in adolescents from 2005 to 2017 (from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent) and 63 percent in young adults age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017 (from 8.1 percent to 13.2 percent). There was also a 71 percent increase in young adults experiencing serious psychological distress in the previous 30 days from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.7 percent to 13.1 percent). The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47 percent from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.0 percent to 10.3 percent).

There was no significant increase in the percentage of older adults experiencing depression or psychological distress during corresponding time periods. The researchers even saw a slight decline in psychological distress in individuals over 65.

"Cultural trends in the last 10 years may have had a larger effect on mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes among younger generations compared with older generations," said Twenge, who believes this trend may be partially due to increased use of electronic communication and digital media, which may have changed modes of social interaction enough to affect mood disorders. She also noted research shows that young people are not sleeping as much as they did in previous generations.

The increase in digital media use may have had a bigger impact on teens and young adults because older adults' social lives are more stable and might have changed less than teens' social lives have in the last ten years, said Twenge. Older adults might also be less likely to use digital media in a way that interferes with sleep - for example, they might be better at not staying up late on their phones or using them in the middle of the night.

"These results suggest a need for more research to understand how digital communication versus face-to-face social interaction influences mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes and to develop specialized interventions for younger age groups," she said.

Given that the increase in mental health issues was sharpest after 2011, Twenge believes it's unlikely to be due to genetics or economic woes and more likely to be due to sudden cultural changes, such as shifts in how teens and young adults spend their time outside of work and school. If so, that may be good news, she said.

"Young people can't change their genetics or the economic situation of the country, but they can choose how they spend their leisure time. First and most important is to get enough sleep. Make sure your device use doesn't interfere with sleep - don't keep phones or tablets in the bedroom at night, and put devices down within an hour of bedtime," she said. "Overall, make sure digital media use doesn't interfere with activities more beneficial to mental health such as face-to-face social interaction, exercise and sleep."

Article: "Age, Period, and Cohort Trends in Mood Disorder and Suicide-Related Outcomes in a Nationally Representative Dataset, 2005-2017," by Jean Twenge, PhD, San Diego State University; Thomas Joiner, PhD, and Mary Duffy, BA, Florida State University; Bell Cooper, PhD, Lynn University; and Sara Binau, Pomona College. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, published online March 14, 2019.

Jean Twenge can be contacted via email.
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes nearly 118,400 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental health issues increased significantly in young adults over last decade

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The percentage of young Americans experiencing certain types of mental health disorders has risen significantly over the past decade, with no corresponding increase in older adults.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.nami.org/Personal-Stories/Sandy-s-Story

A woman named Sandy has dealt with onset paranoid schizophrenia and shared her story of dealing with it. She had dealt with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and ADHD during her life. At the age of 44 she began to develop schizophrenia. It started with her becoming suspicious of people. With her delusions she began to think she was part of a CIA operation. It became life-threatening when she found herself freezing in a river. The doctors thought her delusions were due to the medication she took for anxiety and depression so they gave her anti-psychotics. Six months later the delusions started again, this time she was able to balance her real life with her schizophrenia thoughts. Now she experiences far less depression and very few allusions as she learns to handle her life with her mental health.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
My name is Sandy and I live with late onset paranoid schizophrenia.

There’s a place in town that I pass by on my way to work. It’s a reminder of my last moments before my life changed forever. It’s a very pleasant memory of watching the stars and the northern lights play above the train depot. I had struggled with so much for so many years prior: depression, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, ADHD and I thought that list was done growing that night. At 44 years old, I felt at peace with the past and ready to move on to the future.

Then, literally days later, I began to feel watched and suspicious of people. The delusions grew in intensity until I began to see all these amazing connections and clues leading me to the conclusion that I was part of a CIA covert operation. This continued for six weeks until one night, I found myself by the river’s edge in agony, trying to freeze to death. Something in me found a corner of disbelief…some fire that got me up off the ground and walking towards the hospital. There, they forced an admission, which began my journey into this difficult new chapter of my life.

The doctors originally thought my medication was to blame for the delusions, and so they discontinued anti-psychotics. Six months later, I slid back into delusions. This time, I held it together better and was able to stay working and active despite the swirling giant CIA operation going on in my head. In fact, I had come to feel a sense of safety and affection when certain delusions and hallucinations would happen. I called them my pitbull, my protectors and a teddy bear to cling to while chaos existed.

Again, there was a scrap of insight that allowed me to get needed help. I just knew the police weren’t trying to harm me. The delusions receded once again.

Today is a much different future than foreseen underneath those northern lights four years ago. Large weight gain. Cognitive dulling (which feels like ADHD on steroids). I’m feeling better, though, than I have for years. Less struggle with criticism. Far less depression. No delusions and ideas of reference.

So, to honor the delusions, I boiled them down to their core meaning; protect and serve. I want to be of service to others. I choose to add that back into my life. I don’t know yet how to protect and serve beyond everyday kindness, but it’ll happen

Another thing I’ve chosen to keep on doing is working. My work is only cashiering and stocking, but being forced to pull myself together and to fight residual paranoia keeps me fighting my illness.

Where I’ll go next is uncertain. It’s tough to consider, but I know with all the support I’ve received both financially and emotionally, that we’ll get through it together.

Share your story, message, poem, quote, photo or video of hope, struggle or recovery. By sharing your experience, you can let others know that they are not alone.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sandy’s Story | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At 44 years old, I felt at peace with the past and ready to move on to the future. Then, literally days later, I began to feel watched and suspicious of people. The delusions grew in intensity…

# data[].attributes.body
This poem describes a man going through a type of mental illness. This poem reflects on the things Flynn went through during Supermarket. Flynn was going through a lot of different aspects of mental illness during the book. We are then introduced to the fact he had been in rehab and getting help for his schizophrenia. Although he relapsing back into his delusions and hallucinations, every time he woke up he was getting a little bit better. This poem also represents Bobby Hall's in the way that he speaks up for mental health and using his platforms to educate people.

# data[].attributes.body
https://artincontext.org/schizophrenia-art/
This image was painted to represent schizophrenia. The reason I was drawn to this photo is because I had the chance to discuss this image in my AP lang class. The chaos in this image shows how schizophrenia might feel for someone. In Supermarket, Flynn had an alternate reality that he truly believed was real because of the schizophrenia he was going through. His reality was not what it seemed. The features on this person looks different and the background is not how it should look. This image also shows a morphed reality where everything looks a little bit off.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/books/why-logic-wrote-a-novel.html
Bobby Hall is a rapper known as logic. He is currently 38 years old and four years ago he decided he wanted to branch out from music and start writing a novel. He wanted his novel to be based on suicide prevention and mental health based on his own struggles with anxiety attacks and depression. Apart from his own mental health issues, his mom had bipolar disorder and friends with schizophrenia. He channeled all his personal connections into the main character of Supermarket, Flynn. Bobby Hall saw the importance of using his platform as a way to share his struggles with mental health.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Credit... Rozette Rago for The New York Times

Footnotes

The rapper, whose real name is Bobby Hall, has branched out with a debut novel, "Supermarket."

Credit... Rozette Rago for The New York Times

Bobby Hall, better known as the Grammy-nominated rapper Logic, started writing his debut novel, "Supermarket," four years ago. He had released "The Incredible True Story," a dystopian concept album in which two men search for a planet named Paradise in the wake of Earth's destruction, and finished the script for a film, "Everything Must Go," now in development with J.J. Abrams's production company, Bad Robot.

He was looking for a new project. "I didn't want to necessarily just be stuck in music," he said. "Supermarket," just published by Simon & Schuster, is a psychological thriller that centers on Flynn, an aspiring writer who has been dumped by his girlfriend. Depressed and desperate for change, he takes a job at a supermarket, hoping to find inspiration through daily minutiae. But nothing is what it seems, and the novel quickly takes twists and turns while tackling issues including depression and anxiety.

It's not the first time he has addressed mental health in his work: His song "1-800-273-8255," titled after the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, has gone platinum five times.

Hall, 29, recorded an accompanying soundtrack timed to the novel's release this week. He does not consider himself a big reader, he said, but credits Indiana Jones novels and H.G. Wells's "The Time Machine" as inspirations for the kind of story he wanted to tell.

"Bobby is the quintessential multi-hyphenate. He's a natural storyteller," Stuart Roberts, Hall's editor at Simon & Schuster, wrote in an email. "I was instantly taken by the book's voice and inventiveness."

I talked to Hall about his debut as a writer, mental health, the importance of music to him and what he hopes his fans will take away from this project.

Image

Credit... Sonny Figueroa/The New York Times

"Supermarket" deals with a number of mental health issues - from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. What research did you do before writing the book?
The research I did was all personal. I had an anxiety attack and almost passed out when I was in line to see "Star Wars" in December 2015. I was in the most depressed, anxiety ridden place of my life. My mother was bipolar. She took heavy medication to deal with it, and I grew up with friends who were schizophrenic, so I experienced that firsthand.

Did you face any challenges while writing the book? How did the process differ, if at all, from writing music?
One of the biggest challenges was writing something that stemmed from real life. Nobody wants to talk about anxiety and depression and being scared and feeling crippled at times. It's not a fun thing to discuss. I have written scripts for my albums before, I have done concept albums, so I guess it is something that has been building up.
What do you hope readers to take away from it?
I guess the biggest thing is as long as you deal with your problems head-on and face your demons, whatever they may be - mental, physical, emotional - if you truly deal with it, it gets better. And that you can do anything you want. I am a dude with no formal education. I didn't even graduate from high school. But you can't let that tear you down.
Your characters listen to a lot of contemporary music and artists, like Toro y Moi and Rex Orange County. Can you talk about the relationship between music and the novel?
I thought it would be really cool if when readers see that artist's name and the song on that page, maybe they will play that song while they read. We tend to associate our emotions and experiences with what we are listening to or watching. I just thought it would be cool to add these artists who have given me great memories and pass that on to readers.
Are there any other songs or albums or artists you were listening to while writing the book?
Oh, definitely - I actually created a playlist on Spotify.

Did you always know that you were going to record the soundtrack?
It definitely came from writing the book. I was at my old house and making these songs about love. I was feeling kind of lonely, and I realized that is also how Flynn felt. When I was writing these songs for a woman that didn't even exist at the time, it kind of hit me like, I want to do more than just rap. I love hip-hop, I love rap, it's in my blood. And it is scary as a musician to have a world of people who know who you are, and that when you do something different, different is not good. Nobody likes different. These were songs that almost would have never come out because I would have been too scared. But I think that fear is a good thing.

Let's talk about the album. How does it relate to the book?
It's not like my other albums - that is why I am so proud of it. It's all indie music, and if you listen to this playlist you can hear some elements of that in the soundtrack as well.

It's really based on love, and I've never done that. I did a couple of love songs in raps when I was 20 and didn't know a thing and I've gone through some ups and downs; I have gone through some very hard times; and beautiful, amazing times. So I decided to write about those, and kind of put myself in Flynn's position and almost sing as though I were him and be inspired by my own life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Logic Wrote a Novel (Published 2019)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Footnotes The rapper, whose real name is Bobby Hall, has branched out with a debut novel, "Supermarket." Credit... Rozette Rago for The New York Times Bobby Hall, better known as the Grammy-nominated rapper Logic, started writing his debut novel, "Supermarket," four years ago.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.ted.com/talks/heather_sarkis_stop_the_stigma_why_it_s_important_to_talk_about_mental_health

Most people will experience mental illness at some point in their life. 43.3 million adults experience mental illness every year. Many diseases are constantly talked about, but mental illnesses are still lacking attention. The brain is very complicated and modern-day science still struggles to understand what goes on in the mind of people with a mental illness. There are many misunderstandings about mental illness because you can't see it as a physical issue. Society has a huge role in developing mental illness, but not many people on social media talk about these issues leading people to believe they are alone. Most people don't seek the help that they need because of health care issues and a lack of knowledge of their illness. Heather Sarkis highlights in this TedTalk that society should welcome those that suffer from mental illness and work as a community to support them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Heather Sarkis: Stop the Stigma: Why it's important to talk about Mental Health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Heather shines an understanding light in the dark "stigma" of mental health. She provides a unique viewpoint and embraces the immediate need for mental health care.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283776#People-with-schizophrenia-feared

26 million people worldwide live with schizophrenia. Living with schizophrenia consists of experiencing delusions and hallucinations causing them to hear or see things that aren't actually there. It is unknown how schizophrenia is actually developed but it runs in families. It affects about 1% of the US population. Antipsychotic medication is a treatment that focuses on easing the symptoms of schizophrenia. Psychosocial treatments help improve behavior and thinking which is under cognitive behavioral therapy. There is also rehabilitation that helps improve social interaction. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has said 64% of people believe a split personality switching between normal and bizarre behavior. Society has a negative perception of people with schizophrenia making it harder for people with the illness to get the help they need.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Schizophrenia. Does this word conjure thoughts of mentally unstable, violent individuals with split personalities? For many, it does. And it is these misconceptions about the disorder that mental health organizations around the world are trying to break.

Share on Pinterest
Around 26 million people worldwide are living with schizophrenia, with 2 million in the US.

Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year's theme is "Living with Schizophrenia." Around 26 million people worldwide are living with the disorder, with 2 million in the US.

As defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), schizophrenia is a severe, disabling brain disorder.
People diagnosed with schizophrenia can often experience delusions and hallucinations, which cause them to see or hear things that are not there and believe things that are untrue. The disorder can also impair a person's emotions, memory and the ability to socialize and relate to others.
The exact causes of schizophrenia are unclear. As such, current treatments focus on easing the symptoms of the disorder. Antipsychotic medications, such as clozapine (Clozaril) and haloperidol (Haldol), are usually the first port of call when treating people with schizophrenia.

Psychosocial treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (to help improve behavior and thinking) and rehabilitation (to improve social interaction) are also available for patients with schizophrenia who have already been stabilized with antipsychotic medications.

Such treatments can be effective for the majority of people with schizophrenia, allowing them to function more normally in day-to-day life.
"People who have a relationship with someone who is successfully treated appreciate the reality that people living with a schizophrenia brain illness are delightful, wise, thoughtful individuals with the same goals and aspirations that others not diagnosed have," Linda Stalters, executive director of the Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America (SARDAA), told Medical News Today.
But it seems society as a whole has other ideas about what people diagnosed with schizophrenia are like.

"Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding around schizophrenia," Brian Semple, of UK charity Rethink Mental Illness, told MNT. "Many people assume that it means having a split personality or that it makes you violent, neither of which is true."

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) claim that 64% of people believe a split personality - frequently switching between normal and bizarre behavior - is a symptom of schizophrenia. This promotes a perception that people with schizophrenia are unpredictable, which causes society to fear them.

Fast facts about schizophrenia in the US

Schizophrenia runs in families. It affects around 1% of the general US population, but around 10% of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder

Onset is most common between the ages of 16 and 30

Around 50% of people with schizophrenia have received no treatment for the disorder.

Learn more about schizophrenia
"I think people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia are still feared and perceived as dangerous," said Dr. David Crepaz-Keay, head of empowerment and social inclusion at UK charity the Mental Health Foundation, who has lived with a diagnosis of schizophrenia for around 35 years.

"There is no significant evidence to support the notion of a link between a diagnosis of schizophrenia and violence, but the perception persists."
Dr. Crepaz-Keay is not wrong. A 1999 report - Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General - claims that 61% of Americans believe people with schizophrenia are likely to be violent toward others.
Past studies have indicated that people with schizophrenia are more likely to be violent than individuals without the disorder. But many of these studies state that increased violence in people with schizophrenia mainly occurs alongside substance and/or alcohol abuse - a factor that can increase violence in populations without schizophrenia.

This is echoed in a 2009 study from the University of Oxford in the UK, which compared the risk of violent crime in people with schizophrenia with more than 80,000 controls.
Dr. Seena Fazel and colleagues found that people with schizophrenia and drug or alcohol abuse were four times more likely to commit a violent offense than those without the disorder, but that this risk reduced to 1.2 times when drugs or alcohol abuse were taken out of the equation.
"These problems are prevalent in schizophrenia, but there are evidence-based treatment strategies for drug and alcohol abuse and so the risk of violence can be reduced," Dr. Fazel noted.

A 2006 study, also conducted by Dr. Fezel and colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, found that only 1 in 20 crimes are committed by someone with a mental health disorder - which the researchers say is much lower than what most people would think.

"In many ways the most interesting aspect of our findings is that 19 out of 20 people committing violent crimes do so without having any severe mental health problems," Dr. Fezel told the BBC.

A spokesman for the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health in the UK added:

"This study shows clearly that people with severe mental health conditions commit a very small proportion of violent crimes and that the widely held prejudices about schizophrenia are inaccurate and unfair."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, society's negative perceptions about people with schizophrenia can stop individuals with the disorder from getting the help they need, in terms of both treatment and social support.
NAMI report that only 46% of people say they would tell a friend if they had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, while 27% say they would be embarrassed to tell others if one of their own family members had been diagnosed with the disorder.
Stalter told MNT:

"Someone who hears the negative and pejorative comments about people with severe mental illness will not admit to having any symptoms and then will not seek help even when they are in the early stages and recognize that their thoughts might be inappropriate.

Not only do the symptoms cause isolation, but people abandon their friends and the families, leaving them without the support that they need."

The negative perceptions surrounding a diagnosis of schizophrenia does not only present a barrier to treatment and social support. It can hinder the ability of people with schizophrenia to live a fulfilled life.

Only around 15% of people with schizophrenia in the US are employed. This figure is even lower in the UK, at 8%.

And for many individuals with schizophrenia, a sense of normality comes with the ability to work. But employment is challenging for people with the disorder.
Only around 15% of people with schizophrenia in the US are employed. This figure is even lower in the UK, at 8%.
"Diagnosis often comes at vital life stages and interrupts education and training, which puts people at a disadvantage in the labor market," Dr. Crepaz-Keay told us. "Many of the traditional treatments for schizophrenia have negative effects that make education, training and work more difficult, particularly (but not exclusively) those that affect concentration, coordination and balance."

But aside from these challenges, Dr. Crepaz-Keay noted that there is a great deal of employer prejudice at play, which is echoed in a report from The Working Foundation at the University of Lancaster in the UK.
"There is a general belief that 'people with schizophrenia are not able to do things very well,' that 'they will fail,'" said a psychologist in the report. The report also reveals that up to 70% of people with schizophrenia have experienced some form of discrimination, which has hampered their motivity to work.
"I've got a really negative outlook of work, especially through my experience. Even though you want to work, it is just sometimes the experience of mental health, it just gives you that limitation on what you can handle at work and what you can do and what you cannot do," stated an individual who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Commenting on the issue, Semple told us:

"For many people who have schizophrenia, having a job can be a really important way of staying well and managing their condition. But people with mental illness often get very little support to go back into work if they have been unwell.

We really need to improve attitudes to schizophrenia in the workplace. Many employers assume that if you have a mental health problem, you won't be able to hold down a job."

Semple said that it is important to note, however, that some people with severe mental illness are unable to work. "Those people must be supported too, and should not be demonized," he added.

It seems there is more focus than ever on breaking the stigma associated with schizophrenia.

As well as "Living with Schizophrenia" being this year's theme for World Mental Health Day, SARDAA are holding a conference titled "Call to Action: Shattering Stigma" on October 24th, which aims to educate people on the truths of the disorder.

In the UK, Rethink Mental Illness have teamed up with MIND - a UK mental health charity - to launch a campaign called "Time to Change," which also aims to tackle the discrimination of people with schizophrenia.

Organizations around the world are working hard to educate the general public about schizophrenia, and Semple said there is some evidence to suggest such focus is changing people's attitudes toward the disease.

But Dr. Crepaz-Keay told us he believes that schizophrenia remains a "significant taboo."
"While there has undoubtedly been a significant increase in understanding of, and attitudes toward, many diagnoses, including bipolar disorder and depression, this does not seem to be the case with schizophrenia," he said.
So what can be done to change the public's attitudes toward schizophrenia? "Moving the focus onto what people can do, rather than what they can't or the help they need is an important part of improving our public image," said Dr. Crepaz Keay.

"There are many people who receive a [schizophrenia] diagnosis and continue to have full and productive lives, and I would consider myself to be one of them."

For more information on schizophrenia, please visit SARDAA if in the US, or Rethink Mental Illness or the Mental Health Foundation if in the UK.

Schizophrenia is one of two broad groups of mental health disorders that produce psychosis. The other group, mood disorders, includes bipolar disorder. Our Knowledge Center article - "What is psychosis?" - provides more information.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Schizophrenia. Does this word conjure thoughts of mentally unstable, violent individuals with split personalities? For many, it does. And it is these misconceptions about the disorder that mental health organizations around the world are trying to break. Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year's theme is "Living with Schizophrenia."