May is Mental Health Awareness
Month

 

Mental Health Awareness Month occurs each year in May and is
designed to increase awareness about mental illness. 

 

Being Mindful of your Mental
Health

 

Northwestern Counseling & Support Services (NCSS) stresses
the importance of being mindful of your mental health just as you would with
physical health and nutrition. Unfortunately, there is a social stigma
associated with mental illness, and this stigma prevents the majority of people
with mental illnesses from seeking help. NCSS
prefers to view stigma as an acronym for Striving To Increase
Good Mental Health Awareness. 

 

All mental illnesses, such as depression, need to be looked at
like any other illness. And if you had any other illness you wouldn’t hesitate
to get treatment. NCSS asks that you seek treatment if you believe that you may
have a mental illness.

 

What Is A Mental Illness?

 

A
mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in
thinking, perception and behavior.  If these disturbances significantly
impair a person’s ability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines,
then he or she should immediately seek proper treatment with a mental health
professional. With the proper care and treatment, a person can recover and
resume normal activities.

 

Many
mental illnesses are believed to have biological causes, just like cancer,
diabetes and heart disease, but some mental disorders are caused by a person’s
environment and experiences.

 

Stigma:
Raising Awareness and Understanding

 

Mental illness can strike anyone!  It knows no age limits, economic
status, race, creed or color. During the course of a year, more than 54 million
Americans are affected by one or more mental disorders.

 

Medical
science has made incredible progress over the last century in helping us understand,
curing and eliminating the causes of many diseases including mental illnesses.
However, while doctors continue to solve some of the mysteries of the brain,
many of its functions remain a puzzle. Even at the leading research centers, no
one fully understands how the brain works or why it malfunctions. However,
researchers have determined that many mental illnesses are probably the result
of chemical imbalances in the brain. These imbalances may be inherited, or may
develop because of excessive stress or substance abuse.

 

It
is sometimes easy to forget that our brain, like all of our other organs, is
vulnerable to disease. People with mental illnesses often exhibit many types of
behaviors such as extreme sadness and irritability, and in more severe cases,
they may also suffer from hallucinations and total withdrawal.  Instead of
receiving compassion and acceptance, people with mental illnesses may
experience hostility, discrimination, and stigma.

 

Common Misconceptions about Mental
Illness

 

·        
Myth: “Young people and children don’t suffer from mental health problems.”

 

Fact: It
is estimated that more than 6 million young people in America may suffer from a
mental health disorder that severely disrupts their ability to function at
home, in school, or in their community.

 

• Myth:
  “Mentally ill persons are dangerous.”

 

Fact:
The vast majority of people with mental illnesses are not violent. In the cases
when violence does occur, the incidence typically results from the same reasons
as with the general public such as feeling threatened or excessive use of
alcohol and/or drugs.

 

NCSS
Raises Mental Health Awareness through Education

 

Throughout
the year NCSS offers numerous opportunities for the community to learn more on
the subject including… Mental Health First Aid Training and monthly Grand
Rounds brown bag sessions.

 

NCSS’ mission
is to ensure that the residents of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties have access
to high quality services, which promote healthy living and emotional
well-being.  With our purpose of creating a stronger community one person
at a time.

 

NCSS’
empathetic and skilled staff who embody our values of safety, responsiveness,
compassion, and integrity improve the quality of people’s lives through a
diverse range of programs that encompass a continuum of care throughout the
entire life cycle.  These services are offered through three direct
service divisions: Behavioral Health / Children, Youth & Family /
Developmental Services.  

 

 

For more
information about NCSS, future trainings plus, the programs and services
provided log onto www.ncssinc.org.