We’re coming to the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, but for those in need of help, May 31st won’t signal the end of anything. While the stigma of people coming forward to knowledge mental health issues has lessened in many ways, there is still a great need, especially as we begin to come out of these last two years of heightened anxiety, for people to come forward and get help without judgment.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in any given week over the past two years, between 29% and 43% of U.S. adults experienced symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders. The calls and cries for help have been growing locally. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Hawaii has been doing its part through a multitude of offerings and services to anybody, any ethnicity, any age- CEOs, caregivers, teens, front line workers, lawyers, retail clerks, retirees, et al. Mental health concerns are ubiquitous, but the great news is that assistance is available no matter how seemingly benign or how dire your circumstance may be.
Support, mentorship, and peer groups, online or phone chat opportunities with absolute anonymity (if desired) can help people today. Now is as good a time as any for you to check-in and check-up. As Alice in Chains sang, “somebody check my brain”.
Braveness shown in this arena by celebrities like Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps going public is wonderful, and I’ve read a few columnists opening up about personal mental health issues recently, but it’s really about your concerns, friends, family, co-workers and/or neighbors. Busy therapists might be tied up for months, but a counselor or support group may provide an immediate beacon of hope for you. Crisis lines are also available locally if the need is immediate, sporadic or acute.
People freely discuss heart issues, cancer recovery, or nagging knee ailments. Talking openly about mental health should be just as easy and cathartic. Yoga, meditation, nature, music, learned coping skills- there are myriad ways to deal with what ails you, but don’t wait or let anxiety build.
Find what works for you, now, June 2, or around the holidays. Go to www.namihawaii.org, call (808)-591-1297, or call 211 for a referral. Please don’t let creeping mental health issues fester. And if you’ve got a personal mental health success story to share with others, how great might that be?
Think about it…