Raising awareness about mental health

Brittany Riffle, Youth Resilience and Suicide Prevention Planner, EPCPH, and Maggie Youkhana, Behavioral Health Planner, EPCPH.

Each May is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health, including learning about different mental health conditions and ways to improve your mental health.

Learn how access to resources, open dialogue can reduce social stigma and increase connection.

First recognized in the United States in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder to learn about mental health and do simple mental health checks with yourself, your family, friends, and community.

In the United States, one in five adults and one in six youth (ages 6 to 17) experience diagnosed symptoms.

Yearly mental state. This number is much higher when you consider people who:

You may be experiencing an undiagnosed mental condition.In El Paso County, one of the

In 2021, one in five people (20%) in our community reported poor mental health. Of those seeking services, almost half (42.4%) were unable to access mental health services due to difficulty getting an appointment.

There are many helpful resources, but people may not know how to access them or feel prejudiced against seeking them out.Research shows that social and other biases

Mental health factors can create barriers that prevent people from getting the help they need. Raising awareness about mental health is important, but

Understand that mental health is more than a diagnosable condition.Mental health — as

Just as important as your physical health. This is part of our overall health and well-being. It is our ability to grow both mentally and physically.

A number of community-led events will be held in May to raise awareness.

• May 4th is Spring CityServe with COSILoveyou — Volunteerism and Connections

It has been proven to be a protective factor for mental health.

(https://cosiloveyou.com/spring-city-serve/)

How to challenge yourself to support Mental Health Awareness Month:

• Save 988 or the Colorado Crisis Hotline (1-844-493-TALK) to your phone.

• Reach out to friends you haven’t heard from in a while.

• Participate in an activity you’ve always wanted to try.

• Send cards to friends.

• Invite new people to run errands, go for a walk, go to an event or gathering, etc. Is there someone new you would like to invite to go with you?

First, here are some simple tips to improve your emotional and physical balance.

• Name it. Naming emotions, talking about them, and describing them are important for mental health.

• Please get screened. Mental health testing can help identify difficulties and treatment can lead to better outcomes.

• Practice self-care.Good sleep, diet, and exercise habits lead to improvement.

mental and physical health.

• Start small. Choose one small thing to work on each week. Add something new and positive or quit a bad habit.

• Do not give up! It can take several months, or longer for some people, for a behavior to become a habit.

If you are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts and need someone to talk to right away, call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.