Final answer:
Mental illnesses, exacerbated by factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, adversely affect individuals' daily lives and students' learning experiences. They lead to impaired focus, memory, and decision-making, and present significant obstacles to education. The promotion of physical exercise is beneficial for mental health, countering some negative effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Effects of Mental Health on People
The impact of mental health on individuals can be vast and varied. Mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, and others significantly affect a person's ability to perform daily tasks, reducing their quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted these effects, as increased isolation and stress have exacerbated mental health issues for many. During this time, the psychological effects of quarantine and financial uncertainty led to increased substance use, heightened risk of mental illness, and a decline in physical and mental well-being compared to the general population.
Furthermore, mental health disorders can impair students' educational experiences. Conditions such as depression can raise stress hormones, interfering with neuron development and leading to potential shrinking of the brain. This often results in side-effects such as difficulties with focus, memory, and decision-making, thus affecting the learning process. Anxiety and OCD can similarly disrupt a student's ability to concentrate and process information, further hindering their education.
Physical exercise is shown to have mental health benefits, such as stress reduction and the promotion of positive self-esteem, whereas a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of anxiety. Mental illnesses are diagnosed based on symptoms listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and they represent a substantial economic and social burden.