KAYLA WHITE

12E
COMMUNICATION STUDIES – MRS. GREY
Mental Health
Topic: How does depression contribute to substance abuse among youths in Jamaica?
Many Jamaicans are likely to experience some kind of mental health issue during their
lifetime. Depression is a very prominent form of mental illness in Jamaica. It is a mood
disorder that negatively affects how you feel, think and act. The general purpose of this
portfolio is to create awareness among youths on mental health and its contribution to
substance abuse so that if anything they are able to seek psychological help or rehabilitation.
The theme “Mental Health” was chosen and became a huge concern of mine when depression
led my cousin into using substances to bury his problems. Therefore, this motivated me to
explore this theme because of how impactful it is on one’s actions. This relates to my
academic interests because of a topic that I learned in Biology; The Nervous System. Mental
illnesses are nervous system disorders. As an aspiring psychiatrist, studying this theme
would help me to be more knowledgeable about Mental Health and its importance to human
beings, therefore allowing me to be able to educate and spread awareness to the youths about
mental health and how mental illnesses can affect a person’s quality of life.
This portfolio entails: the expository, reflective and analytical sections. In the expository
section, I will present a speech on my theme in which I will discuss the importance of Mental
Health, how it influences our actions and its contribution to substance abuse. In the reflective
section, a short story entitled “Freed From Bondage” will be written which depicts the life of
a teenager who suffers from depression & drug addiction and how she overcomes it in the
long run.