May is National Mental Health Awareness Month
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Typically this is a time when efforts are made to increase education and decrease stigma around mental health conditions. All over the internet and on most mental health provider pages you will find a wide array of information about mental health, including:local and online resources/support groups, statistics on prevalence rates of mental health conditions, free mental health screenings for things like anxiety or depression, and even links to toll free mental health hotlines or telehealth services. These are all valuable and I would encourage you to take a little time out this month and explore some of those things with a quick Google search like "mental health awareness month".
But even more than that I would like you each to consider the experiences and interactions in your own life. I'll admit, it has always felt problematic for me how people with certain mental health conditions are advised to have special medical alerts identifying their mental health condition (this tends to come up with regards to police interactions so the authorities can respond "appropriately" in certain crisis situations). And I'm not saying that is a bad thing. We all live within multiple systems and some systems we have less control over than others, so medical alerts can be helpful.
But instead of just focusing on big, systemic responses to mental health, which we may or may not have much control over, I want to offer an alternative way to think about mental health awareness:
Imagine for just a moment, if during our hectic, stressful lives we could all choose to behave in a considerate, empathetic way. What if we behaved as if everyone we are dealing with may be dealing with depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, or have certain environmental/social sensitivities.
If we choose to take a deep breath when someone cuts in front of us (on the road, or in line at the store) and give a little grace and hope that their emotional state doesn't remain so hectic that they continue to behave in a way that is inconsiderate. Or hope that whatever stressors they are dealing with don't preoccupy their mind so much that they continue to behave in a thoughtless way. Or that they can get a little help to learn to address those behaviors which come across as selfish and tend to elicit negative feelings from others.
And for just a second or two more as you slowly exhale that deep breath, experience a moment of gratitude that you have enough peace or the resources and support in your life so as not to allow a moment of someone else's thoughtlessness, stress or reactivity, to disrupt your day. Rather that this disruption could provide you a moment to do a quick inventory of all the positive things you have in your life, and that you would wish that for the person whose behaviors offended you.
And if that seems ridiculous or simply not possible for you right now, I want you to consider your own mental health. Am I as mentally healthy as I want to be if I cannot let go of a negative interaction, even from a stranger? The National Institute of Mental Health reports as of 2020, approximately 1 out of every 5 Americans deals with some form of mental illness, which is defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder.
Given everything we've all collectively experienced since 2020: health scares; lockdowns; loss of lives and livelihoods; educational, professional and social disconnection and disruption; incredibly hostile political divisions; ongoing financial stressors and grief/trauma responses, I would venture that number is even a little higher. So the reality is, if you come into contact with at least 4 other people during the course of your day, chances are at least one of them is dealing with a mental health issue right now...it might even be you.
I encourage you to do an emotional check in with yourself and if you notice things are moving in a more negative direction, don't wait to reach out. The good news is: early intervention can often lead to fairly quick results. As I mentioned there are many resources available. I will list just a few of the crisis support services below.
Crisis Mental Health Help
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24/7
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Crisis Mental Health Help 〰️ 24/7 〰️
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hrs/day in English and Spanish
Call: (800) 273-8255
En Español: (888) 628-9454
SAMHSA’s National Helpline (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Call: 1-800- 662-HELP (4357) , or TTY: 1-800-487-4889
The Trevor Project: Suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ young people 24/7 via phone, chat or text https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/
Call: 1-866-488-7386
Veterans Crisis Line 24/7 crisis support for veterans and their loved ones (do not need to be enrolled in VA benefits of healthcare to connect)
Call: 1-800-273-8255, press 1
Text: 838255
Your Life Iowa is available 24/7 to talk over phone, text or live chat if you need someone to talk or if you need help accessing mental health resources
Call: (855) 581-8111
Text: (855) 895-8398