O’Kray 1

Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

How does mental health impact your day-to-day life?

Our day-to-day tasks seem so simple, and in all technicality, they are. However, these can

tend to be extremely difficult to complete due to a tiny factor being mental illnesses. A person

with mental illness will lack the motivation within themselves to even get out of bed in the

mornings. This issue is such a sensitive topic of conversation because one in five adults lives

with a mental illness in the United States ("NIMH » Mental Illness"). I have seen many close

friends and family struggle with this, including myself, and what people fail to realize is that it

takes a significant toll on one's physical health. For example, when I was eighteen years old, I

had just moved three hours away from my entire family, my dog had just died, and I had to push

myself to meet new people. These events led to me becoming depressed, and the way I had

coped was through food. Due to this taking place, I gained an extra 35 pounds in a matter of 6

months. I started failing my classes, I was ruining my friendships, and I was self-destructing in

all the ways I could think possible. Unintentional or not. That year was my all-time low, and I

felt horrible about myself yet did not have any motivation to fix it because of it. It results in a

never-ending cycle, and at some point, you just have to force yourself to take care of yourself

before it gets too bad. The good thing is there is medication for it, but if you are anything like

me, you will try to avoid it at all costs making things a little bit more complicated. Mental health

affects our everyday lives through the inability to complete simple tasks. Failing to complete

these tasks occurs because our physical and psychological well-being intertwines with each

other; therefore, if one is not doing well, neither is the other resulting in an endless cycle. 
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

To understand how our mental health plays a role in our overall well-being and how it

affects our lives, we have to know about mental illnesses themselves and their background.

Mental illness, or mental health disorders, varies from a wide range of mental health disorders.

These disorders affect your mood, thinking, and behavior. In the past, many cultures would look

at mental illnesses as a form of punishment or some type of demonic possession. Hippocrates

began treating people in terms of coping mechanisms and was avoiding medications at first. He

started by changing the surroundings of one suffering and even their occupation. Had that not

worked, he would then begin administering different substances as medication. In the nineteenth

century, most people called mental health "mental hygiene," and before this, there was no name

for it, and it was just there. Once we reached the twentieth century, the acknowledgment for

these conditions arose, and treatment began. However, even today, mental illnesses are frowned

upon, and many people do not believe they are a logical reason for how they act. Treatments for

mental illnesses, or more so punishments, were isolation. This meaning Medical professionals

would put people suffering from mental illnesses in insane asylums. Not only was this nearly

inhumane, but they also introduced electroshock therapy and lobotomies as a form of treatment

("The Surprising History of Mental Health Treatment").

      A lobotomy is a surgical procedure in which the nerve pathways in a lobe or lobes of the

brain are severed from those in other areas and have more negative effects on a person than

positive. It did not help at all. A person's personality, initiative, inhibitions, sense of empathy,

and ability to function independently were utterly gone, making them very dull mentally.

Thankfully, the practice of lobotomies was banned by The Soviet Union in the 1950s because it

opposed the basic principles of humanity as they were taking one's personality from them.
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

Around the same time, The CDC put effective antipsychotic drugs and medications into place,

and doctors always put Freudian therapeutic techniques. Freudian therapy is known as talking

things out and helps people better understand the unconscious forces that can play a role in their

behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. We look upon this today as a negative thing, but it actually

can help some people. This action is known as going to see a therapist, or in some cases, a

psychiatrist. Many symptoms come with mental illnesses, and they can all be generalized under

different disorders. The symptoms include, but are not limited to, shortness of breath, chest

pains, chronic stomach aches, fainting spells, increased anxiety, substance abuse, prolonged

feelings of sadness, paranoia, and hopelessness. Many people thought not only the mental

illnesses were fake, but also the symptoms were as well and were said to be overdramatized and

made up. These people were frowned upon, and some people today still have this mindset.

However, for many people fighting for the cause, the stigma has dramatically decreased,

especially with the more knowledgeable we have become. 

      Dorthea Dix, a revolutionary leader in the mental health movement, traveled across the world

to deliver her message and had even convinced a Pope to reconnoiter the inhumane ways these

doctors were treating these people. She believed in hospitalization but fought for better

conditions and societal treatment. Now, the treatments for mental health are far better than they

were then. They better diagnose these by better medical professionals with more knowledge,

effectiveness, and moral support ("The Surprising History of Mental Health Treatment"). 

      By knowing the history of mental illnesses and their treatment, we can quickly see how

neglected they are and how it has caused strained people for years. The lobotomies no longer

allowed people to function and essentially had caused them to have childlike and sociopathic
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

behaviors. Being locked in an insane asylum where everyone thinks you have possessed cuts off

the socialization that some people need to get through their days. People ignoring these mental

health deuteriation behaviors caused people to be financially, emotionally, physically, and

mentally in a horrible state. Sometimes, if severe enough, this leads to death even today. How

this affects our day-to-day lives can be a numerous amount of ways, which some people do not

realize because they may handle it and cope with it differently, or it may not be as severe.

      In the scholarly article "Mental Health Effect of Long Work Hours, Night and Weekend

Work, and Short Rest Periods," Kaori Sato, Sachiko Kuroda, and Hideo Owan talk about how

work-life has an impact on one's mental health. Comparing the four types of work schedules;

long work hours, night work, weekend work, and short rest period, it is determined which plan

affects a person's mental health the most and to what extent. Studies show that workers are likely

to have lessened productivity rates, making them work longer, more rigid hours. Data collections

from actual workplaces have helped determine that people would rather work an hour longer

during the week as opposed to an hour longer over the weekend when it comes to white-collar.

For Blue-collar, it looks like short rest periods are not associated with poor mental health but

working after midnight does ("Mental Health Effects of Long Work Hours, Night and Weekend

Work, and Short Rest Periods"). This article was written in 2019, giving it a recent study and a

great source of relevancy. The authority of this is superb as it is in a book title "Social Science &

Medicine." Not only does the authority of this make this reliable, but the accurate data and

informational sources play a prominent role in. that as well. The purpose of this is to provide

information on why and how work-life can play a huge role in mental health.
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

      There are many job stressors, much like workplace conditions, that can enhance the onset of

mental illnesses and further deteriorate them. One of the main issues that play a role in mental

illness is the working hours. The working hours refers to the frequency of night work, short daily

rest periods. I can confirm this because I used to work from 3:30 PM until 12:00 AM, and then it

switched to 5:00 PM to 1:30 AM. I would stay up between 3 AM to 7 AM and wake up at the

last possible minute and go straight to work. I would not have time for much besides work, sleep,

eat, and school. I had a horrific sleep schedule which led to my mental health is at an all-time

low. Not only was I hurting myself, but I was also hurting my loved ones by not caring for

myself. Recently, I switched my schedule around to be working from 6:00 AM until 2:30 PM,

and I lost a dollar and a half per hour, but I don't think that matters much, especially since I feel a

lot more productive. I try to do homework while I am working, and when I get done working for

the day, I have time to work out and do my side business. So, yes, the hours you work and the

amount you work plays a massive role in your mental health.   

"Physical Health and Mental Health" talks about how physical and mental health impacts

each other. Poor physical health can lead to self-image problems, which then affects your mental

health. Likewise, poor mental health can lead to poor physical health, and it just becomes one

veracious cycle. By contributing to proper exercise, per research, your mental well-being will

release the endorphins in the brain and make you feel better, which is why exercise is so

important ("Physical Health and Mental Health"). Smoking has a poor impact on both mental

and physical health. Studies have shown that people with depression are twice as likely to

smoke, and people with schizophrenia are three times more likely to smoke. The nicotine

interferes with chemicals in our brains, which increase positive moods. The nicotine high makes
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

one reliant on nicotine and further deuteration both their mental and physical health as they both

intertwine. This article was last updated in February of 2016, making it relatively current and a

reliable source. The authority being The Mental Health foundation plays a considerable role in

the reliability and accuracy of this information. The purpose of this is to help people become

healthier mentally and physically because they both intertwine with each other.

"People with the highest levels of self-rated distress (compared to lowest rates of distress) were

32% more likely to have died from cancer. Depression is associated with an increased risk of

coronary heart disease" ("Physical Health and Mental Health"). People with poor mental health

are less likely to receive the proper physical fitness needed to survive. A lot of lifestyle factors

can influence the intertwined effects of your mental and physical health. Physical exercise, of

any type, keeps you physically healthy. At least thirty minutes a day is ideal. Exercising

influences the release of endorphins and will create a more positive mood for one. Even simple

exercise can improve your mood, even if it is just a little bit. Eating a healthy and well-balanced

diet plays a massive role in our physical health and mental health, creating a chain reaction.

Dopamine is a chemical that allows positive feelings, and nicotine allows that temporarily.

People smoke to be happy because the more they do it, the more dopamine they are receiving.

Smoking again affects one's physical health, and people with depression are twice as likely to

smoke, whereas people with schizophrenia are three times as likely to smoke ("Physical Health

and Mental Health").

Family structure has a lot to do with the mental stability of children, parents, and the

family as a whole. Some do not think this applies and affects the family. However, that is not

correct. Parents with a history of mental illnesses are more than likely to pass those onto their
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

children genetically and physically. This information is from July and August of 2017, which

allows it to be relatively accurate and reliable ("Effects of Family Structure on Mental Health of

Children: A Preliminary Study"). This article is written and issued by the US National Library of

Medicine National Institutes of Health, making it a great source of information. The author of

this means it is valid information leads to the article's purpose that being family structure can

have either a positive or negative impact on children's mental health.

"We found that only 11% of children came from intact families living with biological

parents while 89% had some disruption in their family structure. Two-thirds of the children in

the study population had experienced great trauma, with physical abuse seen in 36%of cases.

Seventy-one percent had reported either a parent or a sibling with a psychiatric disorder"

("Effects of Family Structure on Mental Health of Children: A Preliminary Study"). 

Disruption of family structure can lead to mental illnesses in the children and the already onset of

their genetics, only enhancing the problems. This experience causes the children to have more

emotional and behavioral issues. Due to mothers being the ones who carry the child, their

emotions reflect directly onto the baby while pregnant. That is why people are very persistent in

the idea not to stress expectant mothers out. Studies have shown that a mother's affective state

has a more profound effect on a child than a father's illness. The parent's illnesses are reacted

onto the children, creating another chain reaction and it not being resolved. If not treated could

be fatal, causing the children even more trauma.

      In "Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues" by the Suicide Prevention Resource

center covers the consequences mental illnesses have on students. Mental illnesses can reduce

the quality of life, academic achievement, physical health, and satisfaction with college
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

experience and negatively affects personal relationships. This potential event leads to long-term

impacts like future career options, earning potential, and overall health. Mental health acts as a

drain on people negatively. There are multiple different types of mental illnesses in which can do

this. College students are the most prone to mental illness due to the amount of stress they

acquire daily ("Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues | Suicide Prevention Resource

Center"). Not only do these cause problems within one, but it affects other people. It causes

people to worry and stress about you, which deteriorates their mental illness, and it becomes a

long cycle of everyone impacting everyone around them. This credibility, authority, and

reliability all play a role in the fact that it is by The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences

Center and their suicide prevention center. It does appear its latest update is the 2020 of October,

deeming it reliable as well. The purpose of this is to bring awareness to mental illness and

provide the proper assistance if needed.

      Mental health problems are more than likely to affect a student's energy level day-to-day,

concentration on school, dependability upon others, mental ability, and optimism, which hinders

performance. I again can relate to this statistic because my grades were horrific when I was

having problems, and I was angry all the time and lacked relationships because of it. However,

schools only worry about the burden it causes the university itself, opposed to the actual well-

being of the student. It means losing tuition, fees, and alumni donations because of the ones who

have dropped out due to severe depression. Five percent of students do not finish their college

education due to mental illnesses. Some students with poor mental health are not finishing

school. This fact means an estimated 4.29 million people would have graduated from college had
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

they not been experiencing such disorders ("Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues |

Suicide Prevention Resource Center").

In "Workplace Health Promotion," the CDC talks about how mental illnesses are the most

burdensome concerns that one can have. Not only do they need to worry about their mental

health, but they have to worry about their physical health as well. This factor leads to heart

disease, diabetes, respiratory illness, and disorders that affect muscles, bones, and joints ("Mental

Health in the Workplace"). The problem it can have within the workforce is job performance,

engagement in work itself, socialization. And just daily functions. This information being on the

CDC makes for a very reliable, authoritative, accurate source. It does show the latest update was

in April 2019, right after the pandemic hit. So, this makes this very up-to-date. The purpose of

this is to spread mental health awareness and that people who struggle with mental illnesses can

overcome it.  

In the workplace, mental illnesses can negatively affect not only an employee but also a

business. With poor mental health comes a lack of motivation which leads to poor job

performance and productivity. If a person does not care about their well-being, they will struggle

with a company's well-being. They will move slower at work and work less efficiently, which

decreases the chance of a promotion for the employee and decreases numbers in the business if

certain ones need to be meeting. The way they communicate with their coworkers will also play

a massive role in this. If they are taking out their anxieties, stresses, or any other form of mental

illness out on a coworker, that person will not want to work with them any longer, and if they are

forcing them to do so, they will both be slacking off greatly. Forcing these people to work
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

together can also make that other person start having deterioration in their mental health, and it

turns into a chain reaction.

      "Depression interferes with a person's ability to complete physical job tasks about 20% of the

time and reduces cognitive performance about 35% of the time. Only 57% of employees who

report moderate depression and 40% of those who report severe depression receive treatment to

control depression symptoms" (Mental Health in the Workplace). Due to their lack of

performance, they become unemployed, and it puts them into a deeper black hole, and their

mental illness begins to take over. Instead of controlling their mental illness, their mental illness

prevents them.

      To help the employees overcome these illnesses, most companies implemented resources for

their employees. Employers can use social support networks, incentives for healthy behaviors,

data to track the progress and effects of the employee, health insurance through the company to

help their employees. Counseling, spreading awareness, dedicated quiet space, and allowing

employees to participate in decisions about job stress issues are other options. I can vouches for

this because the company I work for has all of these options. They have even brought emotional

support dogs in on occasion and always offer a quiet "Zen" room to relax. 

Mental illnesses are the most demanding of any of the health concerns. A lack of good mental

health and well-being can result in heart disease, diabetes, respiratory infection, and disorders

that affect muscles, bones, and joints. Poor physical health, long-term, affects our day-to-day

lives because, with mental health, most people lack physical fitness and exercise motivation.

They would rather lay in bed all day, stress eats, and abuse substances. Not getting adequate

physical health can lead to poor mental health because exercise releases endorphins, which
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

diminish the perception of pain. Stress eating and lack of exercise lead to diabetes and heart

disease, and by laying around all day, eventually, your joints will start to deteriorate. It goes the

same way if your physical health is wrong, then your mental health is bad and vice versa.

In conclusion, mental health plays a significant impact on our everyday lives. It is all a chain

reaction and a butterfly effect type ordeal. Physical fitness, emotional health, and mental health

all play a massive role in each other. They all intertwine and can cause long-term effects. Not

taking care of yourself physically, you are also not taking care of yourself mentally, and not

taking care of yourself mentally, you are not taking care of yourself physically.

    
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Audrey O’Kray
Sandra Riley
English Composition II
1 May 2021

Works Cited

"Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues | Suicide Prevention Resource Center." Suicide

Prevention Resource Center, 2020, www.sprc.org/colleges-universities/consequences.

"Effects of Family Structure on Mental Health of Children: A Preliminary Study." PubMed

Central (PMC), 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5559994.

"Mental Health Effects of Long Work Hours, Night and Weekend Work, and Short Rest

Periods." ScienceDirect, 1 Feb. 2020,

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953619307695?via%3Dihub.

"Mental Health in the Workplace." Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Apr. 2019,

www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/tools-resources/workplace-health/mental-

health/index.html.

"NIMH » Mental Illness." National Institute of Mental Health, 5 Jan. 2021,

www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml.

"Physical Health and Mental Health." Mental Health Foundation, 10 Feb. 2020,

www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/physical-health-and-mental-health.

"The Surprising History of Mental Health Treatment." Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital, 2020,

batonrougebehavioral.com/the-surprising-history-of-mental-illness-treatment.