What Most People Don't Know About Mental Illness

I was blown away when I heard some statistics

Mental illness can affect anyone, from any age to any occupation. For most of us, we are unaware of just how dangerous this really is. Just recently a woman who seemed to have it all, recognition, fame and so many admirers, came to that point in her life where she sadly couldn't stand the demons in her head and ended it. Leaving behind the question from all of us, why?

Mental illness won't always provide the answers to a tragic end

The false image in our mind of someone who has mental illness might be that of someone who is a loner, a person that secludes themself from society. Not true, let's take Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst for instance. A high-profile young lady who was extremely visible throughout her career, without a warning she killed herself by jumping off her apartment building in New York City. This action she took was propelled by her illness that she hid from almost everybody.

Miss North Dakota USA 2019 Samantha Redding spent some time with Cheslie

Both Samantha and Cheslie were lined up next to each other for the two weeks of preparation for Miss USA, and she was aware of the pressures of being in the social media spotlight, according to Kxnet.com “There’s a lot of pressure to make your Instagram feed seem like it is perfect, And when people think that your Instagram feed or Facebook posts are your real life, then it can be really misleading.” Redding was just as shocked as everyone else when she heard the news of Kryst's death.

Here are some startling facts about mental illness

National Alliance on Mental Health reports that "One in five U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year" - "More than 12 million people in the U.S. had serious thoughts of suicide in 2020..."

Kxnet.com added this important bit of information:

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

If you are in a crisis and need to talk to someone, text HOME to 741741 to reach a volunteer crisis counselor.

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