Sullivan West Elementary School Counselors Kayla O’Dell and Maureen Casey-Bryant hosted a community screening of Resilience to bring awareness to adverse childhood experiences. Here they are with “Resilience is…” art work by students from the Elementary School.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month; a time to raise awareness around mental health and substance use disorder. This awareness helps those struggling with mental health or substance use disorder to know that there is support and hope. Awareness also breaks down stigmas by acknowledging that mental health and substance use disorder can impact anyone, regardless of culture, socioeconomics, race or other characteristics. During National Mental Health Awareness month, these ideas offer more conversation and active engagement toward healthy individual mental health and wellness!

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes their own abilities; can cope with the normal stresses of life; can work productively and fruitfully; and is able to make a contribution to their community.” There are many factors that contribute to a person’s mental health, including daily habits, traumatic life events, family history of mental illness, and substance use. One of the major disorders that can lead to poor mental health is depression. This is a mood disorder that causes a constant feeling of sadness or lack of interest in performing any life activities.

Mental health challenges and disorders often develop during adolescence and are very common.

1 in 5 youth will experience a mental health challenge in their life. Almost one in five young people in the US are affected by some type of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder (MEB), such as depression or substance use.

Substance use refers to the recurrent use of substances, such as nicotine, alcohol, and/or opioids. Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, can affect a person’s brain and behavior and interfere with meeting responsibilities at school, work, or at home. It increases the risk of social, physical, and mental health problems.

Poor mental health can affect all aspects of an individual’s life, including family, school, and work.

Early warning signs of a mental health issue:

Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy
Feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking or using drugs more than usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

How can you help? When interacting with someone, use person first language when discussing mental health challenges or illnesses. This helps an individual not feel defined by what they are struggling with; and allows them to feel change is possible. Example: Instead of saying “they are an addict” say “a person struggling with substance use disorder.”

Read the entire Editorial Page