ENGLISH INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

Mental Health vs Physical Health

Statement of Purpose and plan of action ----------------------- 3

Essay --------------------------------------------------------- 3

Survey ------------------------------------------------------- 13

Bibliography ---------------------------------------------- 18

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our
principal Mrs. Asha Nathan who gave us the
opportunity to undertake this investigatory project,
and our English teacher Ms. Shveta Arora who
encouraged us to use our literary skills to our full
potential

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 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of this project is to understand that
mental health is just as important as physical health
and how struggles with mental health affect
different age groups of people and learn ways to
improve our mental health.

PLAN OF ACTION
●​ Prepare questions for the survey
●​ Send out the survey to people of different age
groups
●​ Analyze the statistics of the survey
●​ Write an essay based on statistics found

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 MENTAL VS PHYSICAL HEALTH
Being students in our final year, our mental health has certainly taken a

toll for the worse. With the constant pressure of exams and anxiety

about what is to come in the future, we started to wonder if we were

the only ones feeling this way. It's rare to see older people talk about

their mental health or even acknowledge it. Is this a problem only faced

by today's generation or something that's been there all along but

ignored or disregarded by the majority? All these questions piqued our

curiosity, so we decided to survey people from the ages of 15-50 years to

learn their take on mental health.

Firstly, let's begin by defining the premise of this essay, what is Mental

health?

Mental health refers to the emotional, psychological, and social

well-being of a person. It affects how we think, feel, and act as we cope

with life. It also helps us determine how we handle stress, relate to

others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of

life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood and aging.

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From the intel gathered from our survey, we learn that while 46.7% of

people rate their physical health a 3 on a scale of 1-5, 36.7% rate their

mental health a 3 out of 5, and an overwhelming 46.6% rate their

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mental health between 1-2 out of 5. Therefore we can infer that good

physical health may not necessarily mean good mental health.

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When asked questions pertaining to the effects of their mental and

physical health on their everyday lives, 51.7% of people said physical

health did not affect their everyday lives. In comparison, an

overwhelming 81.4% of people agreed to have problems because of bad

mental health in their everyday lives.

Additionally, mental health plays a crucial role in relationships. It is one

of the most compelling reasons for its importance. When surveyed, we

learned 63.3% of people have faced problems with their relationships

because of poor mental health.

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Mental Illness might affect how we interact with our friends and family.

Passive aggressiveness, hostility, and the incapacity to take part in social

activities are all caused by mental illnesses.

It affects our physical health by inducing stress and influences our

immune system. This might cause anxiety and sadness, both of which

can make it difficult to stay active. Poor mental health puts one at an

increased risk of committing violent crimes.

As mental health acts as a suppressant of our energy, they affect our

productivity. This results in low work efficiency and laziness. Society’s

expectations may often act as a trigger towards mental illness, as some

might be unrealistic expectations that make us feel stressed and

pressured, hence pushing us to a state of anxiety and sometimes

depression too.

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All the way from teens to adults, everybody deals with mental illness.

The most common one being depression. There are multiple reasons

why a teenager might become depressed. For example, teens can

develop feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy over their grades,

school performance, social status with peers, sexual orientation, or

family life can each have a major effect on how a teen feels.

Often, kids with depression will have a noticeable change in their

thinking and behavior. The most common symptom of depression is

sadness, for no apparent reason most of the time. They may have no

motivation and even become withdrawn, closing their bedroom door

after school and staying in their room for hours. Kids with teen

depression may sleep excessively or not at all, have a change in eating

habits, and may even exhibit criminal behavior, such as DUI or

shoplifting.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, including as we age.

Many older adults are at risk of mental health problems. But this does

not mean that mental health problems are normal for aging. Studies

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show that most older adults feel satisfied with their lives, even though

they may have more illnesses or physical problems.

Sometimes, however, important life changes can make you feel uneasy,

stressed, and sad. These changes could include the death of a loved

one, retirement, or dealing with a serious illness. Many older adults will

eventually adjust to the changes. Over 20% of adults aged 50 and over

suffer from a mental or neurological disorder and 6.6% of all disability

among people over 50 years is attributed to mental and neurological

disorders. The most common mental and neurological disorders in this

age group are dementia and depression, which affect approximately 5%

and 7% of the world’s older population, respectively. Some warning

signs of mental disorders in older adults include smoking, drinking or

using drugs more than usual, change in eating habits, having

unexplained aches and pains, and feeling sad or hopeless.

There are many things you can do to improve your mental health.

Meditation, for example, is a mind and body practice where you learn to

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focus your attention and awareness. There are many types, including

mindfulness meditation and transcendental meditation.

Having good social support may help protect you against the harms of

stress. It is also good to have diverse types of connections. Besides

connecting with family and friends, you could get involved with your

community or neighborhood. For example, you could volunteer for a

local organization or join a group that is focused on a hobby you enjoy.

Staying positive doesn’t mean that you never feel negative emotions,

such as sadness or anger. You need to feel them so that you can move

through difficult situations. They can help you respond to a problem,

but you do not want those emotions to take over.

While maintaining healthy mental health is important, what is even

more crucial is knowing when to ask for help.

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When asked, 76.7% of people have never even gotten a mental health

examination.

Knowing that there always is light at the end of the tunnel is important.

Being sad or depressed is not a bad thing, it's normal. Being human,

emotions are vital. However, it’s advised to look out for signs of mental

disorders and seek professional help if needed.

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SURVEY

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Survey:

[Link]

Additional statistics and definitions:

[Link]

[Link]

References:

Reasons Why Mental Health Is So Important:

[Link]

Depression: Types, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment:

[Link]

Improving Your Mental Health:

[Link]
alth/

[Link]

Mental wellbeing:

[Link]
-wellbeing/

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