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Mental health is a critical part of our lives, as it shapes our approaches to life and drives what we do - and what we believe we can do. It influences our decision-making abilities, including what we accept in our lives and what we choose to change.

The Whispered Stigma
Yet mental health is an area surrounded by stigma, shame, and fear. Recent national statistics indicate that 71 percent of Americans believe that mental health problems are caused by emotional weakness. 43 percent feel they are brought on in some way by the individual.

These attitudes portray mental health as an embarrassment rather than a public health issue. Most tragic, they shame those who are suffering into ignoring or concealing their condition.

As a result, only 7 percent of health spending in the United States goes toward mental health services. More than two-thirds of adults with diagnosable mental health problems go without treatment.

The Hushed Crisis
This year, 30,000 Americans will commit suicide. Another 650,000 will receive emergency care after attempting to take their own lives. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 to 24 and the sixth leading cause of death for 5 to 14-year-olds.

Certain groups are at an especially high risk for depression and suicide. At any one time, between 10-15 percent of children and adolescents have some signs of depression. One in four women will suffer from depression in her lifetime. Asian American women over the age of 65 have the highest suicide rates among all females.

The Hidden Intersections
Our mental health is also affected by many co-occurring life experiences - if we are healthy or must fight a disease, whether we feel safe and respected or face violence and discrimination.

For example, the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness such as breast cancer presents a whirlwind of emotional challenges to an individual and his or her family and friends. Fear, hopelessness, anxiety, and stress, are just a few of the issues that arise, such that the National Cancer Institute recommends observation and treatment of depression as a critical part of cancer care.