September or sorry, spring 2018, gripped with anxiety, depression, um panic attacks. Uh I sat in the car on the second floor of the garage, pleading with my wife Maggie uh to let me quit my job. You know, I just could not go into work another day. I had just started a new job at George Mason University as an industry adviser. And in this role, I worked with employers looking to hire Mason students. But I also worked with students on their resume, their cover letter, their professional development. But just ...

Mental Health Crisis Scale - Mental illness affects millions, yet it remains consistently underestimated and underfunded [2] - People with severe mental illness die on average 15 years earlier than the general population [3] - Over 700,000 lives are lost to suicide each year [3] - Governments dedicate only 2% of their health budgets to mental illness [4] - In developing nations, the average expenditure per person on mental health care was just two cents [4] Barriers to Seeking Help - Psychological signs of distress can manifest physically, leading to misdiagnosis or lack of treatment [5][6] - Among those diagnosed with mental illness, only 46% of white Americans, 23% of black Americans, and 18% of Asian-Americans accessed treatment last year [7] - Reaching mental health professionals often requires leaving daily routines and fighting stigma [9] Economic and Social Benefits of Treatment - For every $1 invested in mental health care, there is a $4 return in productivity and reduced healthcare costs [10] - Treated individuals miss 50% fewer work days and experience significant drops in homelessness and substance misuse [11] - Addressing mental illness shrinks the 10 to 20 year mortality gap [11] Solutions for Improvement - Train normal people (faith leaders, coaches, teachers, parents) to recognize expressions of distress [12] - Shift at least 5% of health budgets to mental health care [12] - Integrate support into everyday environments (temples, churches, mosques, grocery stores) [13]

It's 2:00 a. m. and David is still awake.His laptop glows in the dark as he stares at his unfinished essay. His eyes are blurry for staring at the screen for so long. He's exhausted, but sleep won't come.The next morning, he wakes up. He eats breakfast and makes it through the day, pretending he's fine. But he's not. Inside, he feels like he's drowning.Later that evening, he's doom scrolling through reals, comparing his life to the polished Instagram posts of others. He feels trapped in a cycle he can't esc ...

Social Media & Mental Health - Social media's prominence contributes to individuals feeling uncomfortable in their own skin, leading to comparisons and a sense of inadequacy [2] - Suicide rates among teenagers in countries like Taiwan, Singapore, and the US have doubled or tripled, becoming a leading cause of death, coupled with doubled depression rates over the last decade [3] - Overstimulation of the brain and excessive information intake lead individuals to compare themselves to unrealistic standards, fostering self-doubt [10] - Approximately half of people globally identify more with self-doubt than self-love, with the percentage closer to 60% for teenagers [11] Relationships & Connections - Social media has inadvertently caused shallower relationships due to a lack of time and dedication for self-reflection, replaced by comparisons to unrealistic standards [4] - A lack of character building and social skills, such as reading people, due to excessive screen time reduces the number of real friends individuals are able to have [7] - The absence of deep connections and real friends can lead to feelings of loneliness, emotional distress, and depression [8] Solutions & Recommendations - Taking initiative to foster meaningful connections can lead to a sense of accomplishment and the relearning of skills necessary for a satisfactory life [8] - Engaging in activities like volunteer work allows individuals to interact with the community, share experiences, and become more compassionate [12] - Self-imposed isolation can be beneficial for self-reflection and personal growth, allowing individuals to propel themselves to new heights [13] - Being comfortable in one's own skin and not being afraid of being alone enhances the value of social interactions and builds self-confidence [14]

When I first arrived in Tashkin in last September, I carried three things with me. A suitcase of belongings, the weight of rejected university applications, and loneliness so heavy I could feel it pushing me down. In the elevator of American University of Technology, a staff member once turned to me and asked, "You study here? I haven't seen you before." Despite being weeks into the semester, I had become invisible, a ghost drifting between classrooms and an empty apartment.speaking to no one, known by no o ...

[संगीत] टी वी हैव ऑल हर्ड द फ्रेज़ यू आर टू नाइस फॉर योर ओन गुड। इट्स अ फ्रेज़ दैट रेजोनेट्स विथ मेनी ऑफ़ अस। बट व्हाट डस इट रियली मीन. वेल, थिंक अबाउट इट। हाव यू एवर बीन काइंड टू समवन ओनली टू फील डिसरिस्पेक्टेड टेक एन एडवांटेज ऑफ ओर एक्सक्लूडेड बाय देम। वेल, दैट्स व्हाट बीइंग टू नाइस। ऑफन रिफर्स टू। यू सी आय कैन लीव डीपली टू दैट फीलिंग। द एसेंस हियर इज पीपल प्लीज़िंग। अ माइंड सेड, आई यूज़्ड टू बॉडी एंड ट्रस्ट मी, इट्स अ डबल एड्सॉर्ड। आई एम चमोदर डायरेक्ट क्रम एंड टुडे आई विल बी टॉकिंग अबाउट सेल्फ कंपैशन एस अ टू ...

RT Nicholas Fabiano, MD (@NTFabiano)You're not depressed, you just need a quest. https://t.co/Grik2Wj7OS ...

[Music] [Applause] Yeah, that's a six-year-old me, a young man that had no idea what life's journey was all about and how precious it actually is. If you don't mind, I'd like to read a short short poem uh that I made shortly after my first suicide attempt. It's entitled I'm just a number. I'm just a number. I breathe. I seek. I blunder. I'm just a number. I fall. I hurt. I wonder. I'm just a number. I've loved. I've lived. I'll die. But Lord knows I've tried to be more than just a number. In 1984, I was an ...

[Applause] You failed. Two words we all know too well. Failure can echo in our minds, overshadowing every victory, every compliment, and every moment of joy.In a world that often celebrates success, failure makes us question our worth. But what if we viewed failure differently. What if we saw it as as an essential part of growth, a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block.Today I want to share how those two words, you failed, became the catalyst for hope and transformation in my life. How I discovered t ...

[Music] I was working as a TV executive and I loved my job and my team and then I got a new boss and he sucked. Anyone ever have a bad boss? [Music] You're my people. This guy became the bane of my existence. I was in a constant power struggle with him and in the process I was losing sleep and I was losing my mind and I was losing my way. My team felt it. My work reflected it. It was not good. Not good. But like a glutton for punishment, I stayed in this situation for two years. Finally, when I decided to l ...