Local heath care providers come together for mental health awareness

Sept. 13--Community leaders and local health-care providers joined hands and came together Monday in support of those who have or are recovering from substance abuse and mental illness. The Texoma Medical Center Behavioral Health Center hosted "Hands for Hope" in recognition of National Recovery Month in September.

"We are all touched with friends and family who are affected by mental illnesses," Texoma Medical Center CEO Ron Seal said to a crowd of about 30 at the event.

These illnesses range from depression and bipolar disorder to schizophrenia and chemical dependency, Behavioral Health Center CEO Jeanne Wypyski said. Alcohol and methamphetamine abuse is a common problem in Grayson County and Texoma, she said.

In any given year, one in four adults across the country will suffer from mental illness in some form, she said. Nearly one in 17 people in the country suffer from a serious mental illness, including schizophrenia, she added.

Through this event, Wypyski said she wanted to bring about a greater awareness about not only mental illness in the community but also the treatments and resources that are available. One common issue across the nation is that many who are suffering cannot afford private services, she said.

"While September is National Recovery Month, we need to look at this all year around," she said.

Through these efforts to raise awareness, Wypyski said she wants to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and illness.

At Monday's event. Wypyski had planned to have speakers who had fought and recovered from mental illness. By the time of the event, all had canceled, citing fears of how people would receive their stories.

"I think there is a stigma and they just aren't ready to come forward yet," she said. "When something is different, people are scared or afraid of what is not familiar to them."

"There is such a stigma with substance abuse and mental illness that people hide it," Daniel Thompson, executive director of Texoma Community Center, said, highlighting the services that are available locally. "We see situations every day where people do get better and go on to live normal lives."

Thompson said the topic is personal as he has a family member who battled mental illness. After the diagnosis came out, there was a sense of relief through the family as everything made sense, he said. From there, recovery can take place with the support of the family.

"It (mental illness) tends to be a silent illness and today it is difficult to find someone who hasn't been affected by it," Thompson said.

___

(c)2016 Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas)

Visit the Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas) at www.heralddemocrat.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.