ORLANDO, Fla. – One in four adults in the U.S. suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. Undiagnosed and untreated mental illness can result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse and much more.
Work stress, money problems, society issues “are some very serious challenges going on in our society right now, and it sort of makes sense that people would feel more anxious about it,” said M. Clark Canine, a psychotherapist
According to experts, checking in on your mental health is beneficial just like a physical health checkup. You can perform a mental health checkup by asking yourself these questions every day:
- “How am I feeling today?”
- “What’s been worrying me lately?”
- “Am I providing my body with its basic needs?”
- “What am I doing to bring myself joy?”
- “Who do I have in my corner?”
“We have to look deep inside, I think, and ask ourselves, ‘Honestly, what am I struggling with?’ And it’s not often the obvious thing,” said David Baker, PhD, a psychotherapist and performance management consultant.
Apps like MoodKit, Talkspace and MindShift CBT promote taking steps to manage your mental health. For symptoms that last longer than two weeks, it’s best to seek professional help.
The organization Mental Health America provides mental health screening tests for depression, anxiety, PTSD and many more that you can take on its website at screening.mhanational.org.
Contributors to this news report include Milvionne Chery, producer, and Roque Correa, videographer and editor.