Mental health draws spotlight in May
Why care about mental health? The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) plans to answer that question this month, during Mental Health Month, and highlight the power of caring and providing access to education, resources and care for mental illnesses.
The Centers for Disease Control defines mental health as emotional, psychological and social well-being. Mental health can affect overall health; a mental illness can increase the risk for many types of physical health problems.
“It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices,” the CDC states on its website.
More than 46 million adults in the United States live with a mental health condition, according to NAMI, and one in five children ages 13-18 have, or will have, a serious mental illness. NAMI also states that the average time between the onset of the symptoms of a mental illness and intervention is eight to 10 years.
“NAMI’s goal is to bring mental health education to all corners of our communities,” the organization said in a press release. “With education, people can identify warning signs of mental health conditions and help someone who may be struggling.”
NAMI’s Mental Health Month 2019 campaign is called “Why Care?” and focuses on ways to improve the quality of life for people with mental health issues.
“NAMI believes that providing education and support — and advocating for better care and treatment — is critical to getting people on a path of recovery,” said Angela Kimball, Acting CEO of NAMI. “This year, during Mental Health Month in May, we’re asking you to tell us why you care using the hashtags #WhyCare and #NAMIcares to join the conversation with examples of what you are doing personally or in your community.”
San Marcos is taking action on community mental health, especially for young people. The SMTX Coalition on Mental Health formed in late 2018 with the mission to provide adequate mental health resources for young people through age 24. (According to NAMI, half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14, and 75 percent begin by age 24; NAMI says that early intervention programs can help.)
The San Marcos coalition has been working to identify existing mental health resources, find barriers and gaps in services, increase support for organizations that are already working on mental health services for young people and establish a set of best practices. The coalition is also working toward making a recommendation to the San Marcos Committee on Children and Youth about increasing awareness of and reducing the stigma around mental health issues.
“The coalition has been busy,” member Anne Halsey said. “We’ve been receiving support from the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health and have adopted the Texas System of Care approach to plan and deliver mental health services and supports to children and youth in San Marcos.”
Halsey said the coalition is assessing the services available in the San Marcos area, collecting statistics from service providers and developing a set of best practices. The coalition is also seeking out more resources.
“We’ve applied for a multi-million dollar federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration which, if we were to receive it, would create a school-based mental health clinic,” Halsey said. “It’s a long shot, but it’s helped us to develop a plan for some of the programming and services we’d like to see become more available and accessible in the future.”
For more information on NAMI’s “Why Care” campaign, visit their website.
