May is Mental Health Awareness Month

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“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices." (samhsa.gov)

There is a huge stigma attached to mental health challenges. We fail to see the person and only see the disease. A mental health challenge is when there is a major change in a person’s thinking, feeling or acting. The change interferes with a person’s ability to live their life.

There are many factors that can affect mental health, including childhood trauma, grief, abuse, traumatic events as an adult, family history and biological causes. The brain, the source of our thoughts and feelings, is an organ just as the stomach, lungs, heart, etc. are organs. Our brain, just as any other organ, can malfunction. The malfunction of the brain affects our thoughts and behaviors. By understanding the brain in this way, we can understand that mental health challenges are not a behavior choice, but the result of biological changes in an organ.

Childhood trauma can affect brain development which also affects world view. World view affects our perception and how we respond to life and life events. Depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress are common adult conditions that are the result of unresolved childhood trauma.

There are signs and symptoms that we can all notice when someone is developing a mental health issue. Some of the signs that may be noticed are changes in sleeping or eating habits, sadness, isolation, crying spells, talking about death or suicide, or giving away valuables. As a friend or family member you can identify these changes and offer a caring listening ear. Often all that is needed to avert a mental health crisis is knowing that someone cares enough to ask, “are you okay?”.

There are resources available to help individuals in crisis. As of July 20, 2022 “988” came on line. 988 is the national response number for mental health crisis. Similar to 911 for physical emergencies, 988 provides direct access to mental health providers for individuals in mental health crisis. There are also resources for non-crisis mental health or addiction services. The Tennessee Red Line is available call or text 800-889-9789 for addiction treatment services. Volunteer Behavioral Health Care Systems (VBHCS) is one of the mental health services available in 32 counties in Middle Tennessee. The first time appointment number for services through VBHCS 877-567-6051. In addition to 988 crisis service can be accessed through 800-704-2651.

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