Mental Health Awareness

In a world where physical health often takes center stage, it's crucial to shine a light on the equally significant but sometimes overlooked aspect of our well-being—mental health. This blog post aims to delve into the realm of mental health awareness, breaking the silence surrounding this important topic.

Understanding Mental Health:

To start, let's unravel the complexities of mental health. Mental health encompasses a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Understanding this broader perspective is the first step towards fostering a culture of mental health awareness as mental health is important at every stage of life. It is important to understand that mental health can impact physical health, many mental health disorders increase the risk of long-lasting physical health conditions and vice versa.

This is my it is important to seek professional help when you are suffering from mental illness, letting the mental illness go too long without treatment can really impact your physical health. Just as letting your physical health go without being treated by a professional can impact your mental health.

Real Stories, Real Impact:

Personal narratives can be powerful agents of change. When individuals who have faced mental health challenges and emerged stronger share stories this not only humanizes the experience but also encourages others to open up about their struggles. I encourage you to share your story with those you are comfortable sharing it with. This will help others understand the struggles that people with mental health face and give hope to those who are going through similar struggles.

The Importance of Mental Health Education:

Education plays a pivotal role in dispelling myths and misconceptions about mental health. There is a need for mental health education in schools, workplaces, and communities to help create a more informed and compassionate society. Advocate for your community, workplace, and schools to have professionals provide education. By being educated it will allow members of society to be able to notice warning signs in themselves and those close to them sooner.

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Access to Mental Health Services:

Despite growing awareness, accessibility to mental health services remains a challenge for many. There are many gaps in mental health care from lack of providers to insurance coverage. In last week's blog we discussed access to mental health services more. I would like to encourage anyone dealing with mental health conditions to please seek guidance from a healthcare professional. Please be sure to discuss in detail the symptoms of your mental health with your healthcare professional whether it is a psychiatric provider, primary care provider, or a therapist. While the psychiatric health care provider is specifically trained to treat mental health conditions with medications, diet, etc., both the primary care provider and therapists can help to direct you to the appropriate path to get the help to make sure your mental health care needs are met.

Crisis Intervention and Support Systems:

Highlighting the importance of crisis intervention and support systems is essential. There is the national crisis intervention line at 988, an individual can dial 988 to reach a person to help get the individual through a crisis or get emergency help if needed. There are multiple crisis intervention lines in Kansas:

• Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center (Douglas County) - 785-843-9192

• Central Kansas Mental Health Center (Saline, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Ottawa) - 785-823-6322 or 800-794-8281

• Crawford County Mental Health Center (Crawford County) - 620-232-7283

• Crosswinds (Chase, Coffey, Greenwood, Lyon, Morris, Osage, Wabaunsee Counties) - 620-343-2211 local, 800-279-3645 Toll-Free (8 am - 5 pm); 620-343-2626 Local, 866-330-3310 Toll-Free (after hours)

• Elizabeth Layton Center (Franklin and Miami Counties) - 800-241-1266

• Family Service and Guidance Center of Topeka (Shawnee County children’s services) - 785-232-5005

• High Plains Mental Health Center (Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Logan, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego, Wallace Counties) - 785-628-2871 or 800-432-0333

• Horizons Mental Health Center (Barber, Harper, Kingman, Pratt, Reno Counties) - 620-694-1099

• Iroquois Center for Human Development (Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Kiowa Counties) - 620-723-2656 or 888-877-0375

• Johnson County Mental Health Center (Johnson County) - 913-268-0156

• Kanza Mental Health and Guidance Center (Brown, Doniphan, Jackson, Nemaha Counties) - 785-742-3666 (after-hours emergency line)

• Labette Center for Mental Health Services (Labette County) - 620-421-3770 or 800-303-3770 (after-hours emergency line)

• Pawnee Mental Health Services (Clay, Cloud, Geary, Jewell, Marshall, Mitchell, Pottawatomie, Republic, Riley, Washington Counties) - 800-609-2002

• Prairie View, Inc. (McPherson, Marion, Harvey Counties) - 800-992-6292

• South Central Mental Health Counseling Center (Butler County) - 866-660-3300

• Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center (Anderson, Linn, Allen, Bourbon, Woodson, Neosho Counties) - 866-973-2241

• Spring River Mental Health & Wellness Center (Cherokee County) - 866-634-2301 • Sumner Mental Health Center (Sumner County) - 800-369-8222

• The Center for Counseling and Consultation (Barton, Stafford, Rice, Pawnee Counties) - 800-875-2544

• The Guidance Center (Atchison, Jefferson, Leavenworth Counties) - 888-260-9634 • Valeo Behavioral Health (Shawnee) - 785-234-3300

• Wyandot Center for Community Behavioral Healthcare (Wyandotte County) - 913-788-4200

(above numbers retrieved from https://kdads.ks.gov/kdads-commissions/behavioral-health/consumers-and-families/cmhc-24-hour-crisis-lines)

Cultivating a Supportive Environment:

Fostering a supportive environment is not solely the responsibility of mental health professionals. Friends, family, and colleagues can play a significant role in creating spaces where individuals feel safe discussing their mental health. This why mental health education in the community is so important, it is difficult for those living with mental health conditions to get support if society is not educated. Advocate for yourself and others with similar conditions. Participate, support, or both any mental health awareness campaigns, such as Jansport-Lighten the load, etc. by supporting and encouraging campaigns such as this it can inspire further efforts to normalize mental health and conversations about mental health.

Conclusion:

In the pursuit of mental health awareness, breaking the silence is the first step towards fostering understanding, empathy, and support. By sharing knowledge, stories, and resources, we can contribute to creating a world where mental health is not just acknowledged but actively nurtured. If you have a mental health condition and feel that you it is not being treated as well as you would like please discuss this with your provider. If you feel you have a mental health condition(s) and would a diagnosis, treatment and management of this condition (s) please contact Amanda @ 316-779-2560.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, April 25). Mental Health. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20health%20includes%20our%20emotional,others%2C%20and%20make%20healthy%20choices.