May is National Mental Health Awareness Month

This year’s theme is “You Are Not Alone”. For more than a year, many of us have felt very alone, unable to go to work, school or visit family. Isolation can have an immense impact on mental health, particularly for those suffering from depression. Therefore, it is important to let everyone know what resources are available to help connect people with services. You may feel as though there is no place to get help, or no one to turn to. However, if one good thing has come out of the last year, it is the ability of mental health professionals to connect with those who need help over the phone, by text or through video calls, such as ZOOM. Places of worship and local organizations are starting to open up and can provide support as well. It is often difficult for people to seek help.

According to NAMI 1 in 20 adults in America experiences a serious mental health crisis each year. We feel alone because we do not talk about mental health issues, we keep them to ourselves like a shameful secret. We still feel the stigma of the larger population. This stigma continues to force people to suffer in silence. We need to accept that we have a need for help and to seek out the help.

If you or someone you know needs services, please utilize the resources provided by The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or Department of Behavioral Health Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS). Healthy Minds Philly is another resource. All have links to crisis hotlines, stories written by others who are experiencing Mental Health issues, and resources.

To learn about dealing with stress during the pandemic, click the link below to view the PCHC presentation by Dr. DeMarco.

https://cloud.absorbcreate.com/launch/project/zbmjXS2oj9LEiA87K

Mental Health Resources:

https://healthymindsphilly.org/boost/

https://dbhids.org/