Not So Uncommon

This first blog post is going to be very brief, just to dip our toes into the waters of mental illness. Many people have the idea that mental illnesses are rare, unique, and are often seen as a personality deformity. I'm here to tell you, that's not the case whatsoever. In fact, more adults in the United States are sufferers of mental illness than they are smokers! According to the CDC, 18.1% of adults 18 and older in the United States are current smokers. That's a lot! The NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) states that 26.2% of the US adult population is currently suffering from a mental illness. An additional 46.3% of children aged 13-18 also suffer. That's a decent chunk of the population. In reality, everywhere you go, you will most likely be in the presence of someone suffering from a mental illness. With so many people suffering, it is honestly shocking that mental illnesses are such taboo topics. That's one of my goals for this blog. To educate people about the plethora of mental illnesses, allow them to learn, use, and spread the information, and slowly but surely defeat the stigma associated with mental illnesses.