The document discusses the importance of prioritizing mental health and defines it as a state where one can effectively handle daily challenges. It reports that a study found anxiety to be the dominant negative emotion, especially in students aged 17-21 and first-year students. Additionally, it states that stigma is a main barrier to receiving mental health care and that education and awareness campaigns are needed to establish an environment where therapy is as common as medical care.

1. Mental health

2. • “Your mental health is everything — prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.” “If
we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don't exist,
then maybe we'll leave the world a better place than we found it.”
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3. Defining Mental Health:
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Mental health refers to a state where an individual can
effectively work, handle daily challenges, reach their full
potential, and potentially positively impact their community.

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“We found that anxiety was the dominant negative emotional state across all characteristics. There was no
significant difference in depression between males and females. However, compared with males, more females
reported anxiety (61% vs 47%) and stress (32.2% vs 24.4). The results also showed higher rates of all three
negative emotional states in students aged 17–21 compared with those aged 22–26 (depression: 38.5% vs
37.2%; anxiety: 57.6% vs 50%; stress: 29.5% vs 28.6%).” (Marzouqi et al., 2022)
“More first-year students developed anxiety than students in other years (61.7%), although second-year
students had the most negative emotional state overall compared with students from other years” (Marzouqi et
al., 2022)

5. Breaking the Stigma:
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One of the main barriers to getting mental health care is the persistent
stigma associated with them.
It's time to take down these barriers and establish an environment in
which receiving mental health therapy is as frequent as receiving
medical care.
Education and awareness campaigns are essential tools in the fight to
end this stigma.

6. • Lastly, it is important to remember that talking
about mental health is a topic that should not
be avoided or kept quiet. It is a fundamental
aspect of who we are as people and deserves
our care, compassion, and support. By
eliminating the stigma, promoting self-care,
creating supporting networks, and elevating
mental health to a top priority for organizations,
we can create a culture where everyone can
thrive emotionally and mentally.
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