For over 70 years, our country has observed May as Mental Health Awareness Month to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental health for all. This year, Mental Health Awareness Month has two goals: to share comprehensive, helpful and informative mental health awareness resources and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health disorders.
Now more than ever, it’s important to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, which often makes people hesitant to seek help.
We are all facing mental health challenges such as anxiety, sadness, isolation and stress as a result of COVID-19 – both directly in our lives and the lives of our friends and family, and the impact it has had on our daily wellbeing – which is why this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month is so special and important.
It’s important for everyone to realise that there’s nothing shameful about having a mental health problem. We will all suffer from mental or emotional problems at some point in our lives – self-esteem, stress, sadness, loneliness, anger, anxiety, depression – some people will suffer from all of these together.
When you’re struggling with your emotions, the best thing to do is talk to someone. We all know that. Talking helps. The same goes for getting help for an emotional or mood disorder. Talking to someone is a step further. Talking to a professional who helps people with the problems you’re facing. It couldn’t make more sense.
Treating a mental illness is no different than treating a physical problem: when something goes wrong, you go to the doctor, and once you know exactly what the problem is, you go to a specialist.
That’s exactly how mental health treatment works: First, you get screened. If the screen finds an underlying mental health issue, you’ll be referred to a specialist. There’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of, and no reason to avoid treatment when it’s offered to you.
An illness is an illness, that’s it
Simply put, I want to talk about the stigma surrounding mental health in the United States.
Historically, mental illness has been seen as negative and bad, as if someone with a mental illness could have somehow prevented it or chosen a different path. Even today, despite progress in every aspect of our culture, when someone discloses that they have a mental illness, the public turns the other cheek and usually doesn’t want to engage.
It is important to change the public’s perception of mental illness. If we have heart disease, cancer, or any other illness, we immediately seek help. We need to start thinking about treating mental illness in the same way we think about physical illness.
“The stigma surrounding mental illness often means people are too embarrassed to talk to their doctor about it, which delays or prevents treatment. My hope is that people will gain a greater understanding of the prevalence of mental health issues, recognize mental health concerns in themselves or a loved one, and take the first step to seek help.
One in four American adults live with a diagnosable and treatable mental illness, yet they are in fact capable of living full and productive lives. Mental illness is more common than cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, and is the leading cause of disability in the United States. As Americans, we are so afraid of mental illness and the stigma that comes with it that we have successfully ignored it. It is easy to talk about mental illness, but it is not always easy to address the psychological and emotional issues when they arise.
988 Lifeline
Also, during Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important to remind readers about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 988 is available to connect people to the existing National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. People can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org when they’re worried about themselves or a loved one who may need crisis support.
988 serves as a universal entry point, allowing people to reach a trained crisis counselor for help no matter where they live in the United States.
988 provides 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress, whether that distress includes suicidal thoughts, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other type of emotional distress.
Too many people are experiencing suicidal thoughts or mental health-related distress but aren’t getting the support and care they need. Sadly, the pandemic has only made America’s bad mental health and wellness situation even worse. Here are some urgent realities that drive the need for transformation in crisis response services across the country. In 2021:
• Approximately one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes in the United States.
• Suicide was the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-14 and 25-34.
• Suicide rates have increased significantly among non-Hispanic blacks, American Indians, and Alaska Natives.
• Approximately 900,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 and 1.7 million adults attempted suicide.
• Approximately 107,000 people died from drug overdoses.
But there is hope: 988 Lifeline helps thousands of people every day who are experiencing suicidal thoughts or mental health-related distress.
Don’t suffer in silence
If you need to seek professional help, help is available and anyone who feels pushed to their limits is encouraged not to suffer in silence. The Dale Society has been providing mental health services since 1974 and has a long history of helping people get better.
The Dale Association is a unique non-profit organization that has been serving the needs of adults in the Niagara Region for over 70 years. Our mission is to provide comprehensive services and coordinate connections to adults in Niagara and neighboring counties, to improve their health and wellness, and to empower them to build bridges to their communities. This important mission is the focus of each of our programs, including Senior Services, Mental Health Services and Caregiver Support Services.
For more information about the Dale Association, visit www.daleassociation.com. To schedule an appointment for mental health services, call 716=693-9961 or 716-433-1937.
