Together for Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness month and this year’s theme is “Together for Mental Health.”  We want to eliminate the stigma people too often feel about acknowledging their mental health needs and asking for help.  Here are some things each of us can do:

1. Learn about mental health and share with others. Millions of Americans struggle with mental health challenges and learning the facts about mental illness can help dispel myths and misperceptions and minimize stigma.
2. See the person not the illness. It’s so easy to say “She’s bipolar,” or “He’s autistic.”  1 in 5 Americans has a mental health condition.  Each is a whole person, with a unique story.  Each is so much more than their mental health challenge.  Try to use person-centered language – a person with bipolar disorder, for example – rather than labeling people.  Treating one another with kindness and respect and checking in with friends and loved ones who may be struggling can help them know they are valued and that it’s ok to say they need help.
3. Check your language. We’ve all done it – “He’s so OCD,” “She looks anorexic,” – pick your comment.  But these words have power and perpetuate the stigma of conditions that cause real suffering.  Casual comments and jokes about mental health conditions can be hurtful and you may not know that the person hearing you is struggling.

This is one reason ChesPenn has embedded behavioral health services in our primary care sites.  It’s much easier for patients to receive care when their physician can introduce them directly to the Behavioral Health Consultant.  They can get help on the spot and don’t have to make a separate appointment that could be labeled as seeing a “shrink.”  The BHC model has proven very successful in improving patients’ access to care and mental health.  Paul Renn, ChesPenn’s Behavioral Health Manager, observed that “The BHC is more than a therapist.   They provide solution-focused brief therapies and can also provide a warm handoff to longer term therapists when needed.”

Here are some resources to learn more or get help:

Learn more about mental health | nami.org/About-Mental-Illness

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:  800-273-TALK (8255) to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7. Or www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Crisis text line:  Text HOME to 741741 or www.crisistextline.org

Emotional support for youth:  Call (310) 855-HOPE or (800) TLC-TEEN (nationwide toll-free) from 3pm-7pm EST or Text TEEN to 839863 between 3pm-6pm EST