by Cindy Gonzalez and Jasmin Corona

There are many mental illness around the world and no one really seems to understand how important they are. Mental illness can happen to anyone there may not be any physical symptoms but there are some symptoms. Mental illnesses come from genetics, biological, psychological and environmental factors. We should educate ourselves about these issues to help someone we care about and spread awareness. It is important to be aware of them to reduce stigma and help recognize if someone you care about is dealing with them, you can do something about it. In some cases sometimes there is nothing you can do about it.

Brain dead is an example of a mental health disorder you can not do anything about. There have been many cases where people have been considered brain dead and put on life support. This was the case for Alan sanchez, 17 year old who was put on life support after a car accident His family has kept him on life support because they believe he can recover although doctors consider him brain dead. They have footage of him moving his arms but the doctors state those are just reflexes.When his family speaks to him he’s able to squeeze his hands as a response. A brain dead person would not be able to listen to commands or do commands. Brain dead means when the brain no longer functions with the other body systems.

      APB senior Jackie, shares her experience of having a cousin on life support after a motorcycle accident. She states that, “we [her family] were devastated, he was in a coma first and had surgery. After surgery he did not wake up so he was put on life support. His body was turning purple and after 2 days on life support he was disconnected”. She adds that although life support can be useful for some certain time, eventually people are disconnected and there’s nothing we can do about it.

      This connects to APB’s mental health fair where Girls Build L.A  advocated mental health. APB sophomore Jocelyn, is part of Girls Build L.A. She described the event to be very important because they were spreading awareness. She states that, “ many people don’t see mental illness as an important. Theres many people out there who go through it and no one has a clue about it. They don’t know they symptoms of it and some even commit suicide due to it. We want to raise awareness and prevent these actions from happening”. She also adds that she enjoys the fact she had the chance to speak for those who chose to be quiet and experienced how to care about others.

      We should make this situation more aware because many people suffer from experiences like this.We should become aware of this issue and spread how importance mental health is and how it affects not only those who suffer from it but also us and our environment. If you can do something about it then do it but if you can’t do anything about then we should share these experiences in order to advocate this situation.