Take a look around.
One in four of the people you see suffers or will suffer from a mental health condition, according to the National Institute of Health.
One in four.
Mental illness does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter how old you are, where you live or what color you are.
Those who suffer are our family members, our friends and our coworkers. They are our spouses and our siblings; our teenagers and our grandparents.
It’s a health problem that many people don’t take seriously, maybe because they can’t see physical manifestations, and it’s a problem that few of us are comfortable talking about. We don’t feel we have the right words or know what’s appropriate to ask and feel awkward in our attempts.
In the last 20 years, we have seen the stigma of HIV, herpes, even substance misuse and alcoholism, lessen in our communities. Yet the stigma surrounding mental illness – that anyone with a mental illness is dangerous, violent, unpredictable (or helpless, hapless and hopeless) – persists.
You can help dispel the stigma by learning more about mental illness and talking about mental illness not as an unfortunate fate but as a treatable disease. Medication, counseling and social support systems can help those who suffer.
Familiarize yourself with the five questions that can help discover a mental health condition.
Not feeling yourself?
Are you feeling agitated?
Are you feeling withdrawn?
Taking care of yourself?
Are you feeling hopeless?
These questions come from a statewide initiative dedicated to increasing awareness about mental illness. The project, Change Direction, kicks off in Concord Monday.
Closer to home, the Monadnock System of Care planning group is working to strengthen family networks and youth peer networks, and to make people more aware of the issue in the community.
A little awareness can go a long way.