May is Mental Health Awareness Month - what you can do

• Physical illnesses are often easier to diagnose and treat than mental illnesses
• Yet mental health is a key factor in overall health
• Mental illness affects everyone equally, regardless of their wealth, physical health, family background, ethnicity, or religious beliefs

Come May, Healthier Somerset will begin campaigning for Mental Health Awareness Month.

When we think of good health, most people think first of their physical health. Physical illnesses are often easier to diagnose and treat than mental illnesses, yet mental health is a key factor in overall health. Mental Health Awareness Month in May offers many opportunities to highlight specific aspects of mental health, including Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Older Americans’ Mental Health Week, Schizophrenia Awareness Week, National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week, and Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.

The awareness campaign is important because of the stigma that still surrounds mental illness. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) notes on its website, www.nami.org, that people with mental illness often suffer from hiring and housing discrimination and fail to seek treatment because of the stigma. Without receiving treatment from a qualified mental health professional, the condition worsens and can result in loss of productivity and loss of life through suicide.

READ: Parents did everything they could for Bridgewater murder suspect

READ: Healthier Somerset recognizes National Workplace Wellness Week

READ: Somerset: Somerset County – the healthiest county in New Jersey?

Mental illness affects everyone equally, regardless of their wealth, physical health, family background, ethnicity, or religious beliefs, Healthier Somerset says. In Somerset County, which the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found was the third healthiest county in New Jersey, mental health and addictions were identified as the number one health priority in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), based on data collected from across the county in 2015.

Healthier Somerset’s CHIP working group on mental health and addictions has prepared a directory of mental health and substance abuse resources for Somerset County residents. It can be found on Healthier Somerset’s website at www.healthiersomerset.org. The group is also distributing a poster that will be placed in Somerset County physicians’ offices reminding patients that their check-up should include a discussion of mental health issues as well as physical health.

Here are some things you can do to increase awareness of mental illness:

• Educate yourself about stress, depression, and addiction – common forms of mental illness
• Take the NAMI pledge to be “stigma free” by avoiding labels and using respectful language when speaking of those with mental illness
• Raise the topic of mental health issues with your physician if it’s not included in your annual wellness checkup
• Encourage family members and friends to seek help when they’re concerned
• Be supportive of those who are dealing with mental health issues themselves, or in their families.

Current estimates reflect nearly one in five— Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness. The good news is that treatment is available, and increased awareness will lead to more people asking for and receiving the treatment they need. Visit www.healthiersomerset.org for more information.

Rebecca Perkins is the project manager for Healthier Somerset