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Reducing The Stigma Around Mental Illness

Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, PA) - 8/14/2014

As the world mourns the death of Robin Williams by suicide, Lancaster County can honor the actor's legacy by embarking on substantive discussions about mental health and suicide.

Mental illness, such as the major depression that Williams experienced, is common. All too common. And sadly, it is a risk factor that can lead to suicide.

The National Institute of Mental Health notes that 1 in 4 adults in the United States - 61.5 million people -experience mental illness in a given year. Suicide claims the lives of about 38,000 Americans each year.

The statistics in Lancaster County are equally alarming.

According to the statewide Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 34 percent of 18- to 44-year-olds, 27 percent of 45- to 64- year-olds, and 14 percent of 65-year-olds and older persons in Lancaster County reported that their mental health was not good one or more days in the past month.

The 2013 Pennsylvania Youth Survey determined that Lancaster County youth are struggling. Consider this: 27.1 percent of sixth- graders, 31.8 percent of eighth-graders, 35.8 percent of 10th- graders and 29.5 percent of 12th-graders here responded that they "felt depressed or sad most days in the past 12 months."

And many of these students considered committing suicide. Incredibly, 8.5 percent of Lancaster County sixth-graders, 16.1 percent of eighth-graders, 21.3 percent of 10th- graders and 16.9 percent of 12th- graders responded that they considered suicide one or more times.

As a county, what can we do?

For starters, we must continue a serious discussion - one that doesn't end when the shock of a celebrity's death wears off but continues well into the future with a thoughtful, conscientious dialog about how to improve the community's mental health.

And we must work together as a community to erase the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Mental illness is a physical condition much like any other, including cancer, diabetes or heart disease. But because it is misunderstood, people with mental illness sometimes are embarrassed and do not seek the treatment they need.

Two years ago, using local, state and national health statistics and goals as guides, LG Health identified mental health as one of three community health priorities we would address with our partners. No one organization can solve the complexities of this issue. It requires a collaboration among businesses, faith-based organizations, schools, health providers and insurers, and many others.

This spring, we held a Mental Health Summit with hundreds of community members and health care professionals to evaluate the county's mental health needs and identify ways to meet these needs. Together, we developed a vision for mental health services that will help people in Lancaster County achieve their highest level of mental well-being.

As a next step, a Mental Health Collaborative has been established to foster partnerships and action teams that will address the county's mental health needs in a comprehensive way.

LG Health and its collaborative partners will address needs across the life span - from women experiencing postpartum depression after the birth of a child, through childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. The partners also will address suicide risk factors such as substance abuse, which Robin Williams struggled with at various times in his life.

For people suffering from severe depression, it may feel as if there is nowhere to turn. But there is. You are not alone.

If you or someone you know is suicidal, contact Lancaster County Crisis Intervention's 24-hour hotline at 394-2631. Mental Health America of Lancaster County offers free support groups. For more information, contact 397-7461.

If you'd like to become involved in the new Mental Health Collaborative, contact LG Health at 544-3283.

Together, we can enhance the health and well-being of every resident in Lancaster County.