Addictions and Mental Health in SLC Utah- Kimberlie Mikami

Kimberlie Mikami

Five Trends in Mental Health

Jessica Lynn MSW

1. Addiction

Addictions are causing a decrease in home health. Children are suffering because of their parent’s lack of priorities. The parents are choosing to give into their addictions rather than dedicate time and effort to the care of their children. Because of parents poor choices the children are suffering. Addictions affect everyone around the addicted individual; there is no room for selfishness when it comes to unhealthy addictions.

2. Poverty

Many of these parents and children are coming from low-income families. They are already at risk because of social determinants of health. Those lower on the social ladder are already at a higher risk of disease. These parents are responsible for making the best of the situation, but because of the poverty and the money being spent on addictive behaviors their children are greatly suffering. Poverty or lower income families are already at risk, there is no room for further health destructive behaviors.

3. Lack of Education

Another social determinant of health, education in this situation it is the lack of education causing the decline in mental and physical health. Many of the children of these delinquent parents, are following in their parents foots steps. This is a chain reaction; children usually follow the example of their parents. Individuals who are born into an uneducated home are already at a disadvantage in comparison to those with educated parents. Parents need to take all the necessary precautions to help improve the lives of their children.

4. Substance abuse

Those individuals go through a screening process and many of these individuals are using different harmful substances in a destructive way. Little do these parents realize how many lives they are ruining by their abuse of addictive substances. All people connected to the substance abuser, including alcohol, are negatively impacting the lives of all those that surround them.  Substance abuse and bad behavior is what these children have grown up with. They are not seeing that it is a wrong behavior because they are unaware that the abuse of substances is something that isn’t supposed to be a normal part of living.

5. Priorities

Being healthy and being a good example of smart decision-making is lower on the priority scale than drugs or alcohol. A portion of the adult population in SLC is struggling with their priorities. If there were better choices being made we could avoid the pitfall of many adolescents. If priorities were better implemented by the example of parents there would be much more success of healthy physical, mental and emotional living. Priorities need to be in place to promote positive, healthy behaviors and habits.