Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 6-12

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Ming T. Strother, LSCSWBy Ming Strother, LSCSW, Behavioral Health Clinician 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) shared the following statement regarding Mental Illness Awareness Week, 2023 (MIAW):

Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition. However, mental illness affects everyone directly or indirectly through family, friends or coworkers. That is why each year, during the first week of October, NAMI and participants across the country raise awareness of mental illness, fight discrimination and provide support through Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW).

We believe that mental health conditions are important to discuss year-round but highlighting them during MIAW provides a dedicated time for mental health advocates across the country to come together as one unified voice. Since 1990, when Congress officially established the first full week of October as MIAW, advocates have worked together to sponsor activities, large or small, to educate the public about mental illness.

Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 6-12 Each one of us can help bring awareness to mental illness by educating ourselves, sharing our stories, talking openly about mental illness, advocacy, and much more. Approximately one in five adults in the US lives with a mental illness. There is no single cause, and several factors can contribute to a person’s risk, including trauma, genetics, chronic medical conditions, substance use, and feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Sharing our stories and talking openly about mental illness can increase feelings of connectedness and help others to feel less alone. It helps with normalizing conversations and reducing stigma. Having these conversations can lead to increased feelings of empowerment and encourage help seeking behavior.

Advocacy not only includes the sharing of stories and talking openly but supporting others who may be struggling with mental illness, volunteering for your local mental health center, talking with community leaders, and acting on advocacy issues.

At Health Partnership Clinic, we offer affordable in person and telehealth therapy services for clients 12 and older. If you or someone you love would like to schedule an appointment, it can be done by calling 913-730-3664.

If you need to find additional help for yourself, a friend, or family member, please see the additional resources below.

National and local resources:

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline:
Call or text to 988 or go to 988lifeline.org (online chat available including services for the deaf and hard of hearing)

National Alliance on Mental Illness
https://www.nami.org

Mental Health America
https://mhanational.org

Johnson County Mental Health
913-826-4200
Crisis Line 913-268-0156
https://www.jocogov.org/dept/mental-health/home

Community mental health centers are found throughout the United States.

To find the community mental health center nearest you in Kansas or Missouri click the links below:

Kansas

https://www.kdads.ks.gov/commissions/behavioral-health/services-and-programs/community-mental-health-centers

Missouri

https://dmh.mo.gov/behavioral-health/treatment-services/locating-services-treatment/community-mental-health-centers

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

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Thao LeBy Thao Le, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC

In 2022, a record high of 49,449 lives were lost to suicide in the United States – an increase of 2.6 percent over the previous year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), risk factors for suicide include:

  • Previous suicide attempt
  • History of depression and other mental illnesses
  • Serious illness such as chronic pain
  • Criminal/legal problems
  • Job/financial problems or loss
  • Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
  • Substance use
  • Current or prior history of adverse childhood experiences
  • Violence victimization and/or perpetration
  • Bullying
  • Family/loved one’s history of suicide
  • Loss of relationships
  • High conflict or violent relationships
  • Social isolation
  • Lack of access to healthcare
  • Suicide cluster in the community
  • Community violence
  • Stigma associated with help-seeking and mental illness
  • Easy access to lethal means of suicide among people at risk
  • Unsafe media portrayals of suicide

Suicide and Crisis LifelineSuicide rates were highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people, males, people who live in rural areas, and adults 85 and older in 2021. Specific risk factors that could have led to an increase in suicide rates in 2022 include mental health related symptoms following the pandemic, financial stressors and lack of access to health care.

Healthcare professionals can help prevent suicide by:

  • Routinely screening patients for suicidal thoughts and behaviors
  • Consider hospitalization for patients at high risk for suicide
  • Refer to a higher level of care if needed.
  • Develop a crisis plan
  • Collaborate with family members
  • Collaborate with therapists and psychiatric providers

In addition to identifying risk factors, healthcare providers should help identify and enhance protective factors among at-risk populations, including:

  • Effective coping and problem-solving skills
  • Reasons for living (for example, family, friends, pets, etc.)
  • Strong sense of cultural identity
  • Support from partners, friends, and family
  • Feeling connected to others
  • Feeling connected to school, community, and other social institutions
  • Availability of consistent and high quality physical and behavioral health care
  • Reduced access to lethal means of suicide among people at risk
  • Cultural, religious, or moral objections to suicide

If you are thinking about harming yourself or attempting suicide:

  • Call 911 for emergency services.
  • Go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
  • Call or text 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Support is also available via live chat.

Health Partnership offers therapy services, psychiatric medication management, and substance use services. To schedule an appointment or more details, call 913-730-3664.

 

 

September is Recovery Month

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Christopher WoodwardBy Christopher W. Woodward, LCAC, Substance Abuse Specialist

Dog Days of Summer

Stop for a moment and remember the start of summer. Remember the feeling when that new warm sun hits your skin, the days filled with fun and joy. Remember the change from the bitterness of the fall and winter to the warm and consoling temperatures of the spring and the summer.

For some of us it is a break, a time to recharge. A time to gather at the lake or pool and relax. As time passes that warmth has been replaced with oppressive heat. We have hit the dog days, the last days of summer where we start to find the building heat unbearable and irritating.

This year, the heat has been enough that the temps have felt like 100 degrees for several weeks. And we have had enough. We get to the point where we want to stay in, not socialize, not see our buddies at the pool or splash in the lake. The sunglasses have been lost and scratched, and the cool water of the lake has moved to a warm taped bath that seems to not refresh as easily. Our skin is burnt and sore, and the kids are cranky and needing a routine.

Often this is the same as our use of substances.

National Recovery MonthMany of us started off with the warm benefits of relaxation and a carefree lifestyle—to the hot and humid oppression that our summer has become. Many start the substance of choice for a reason. Perhaps to relax on a hot day after mowing the yard, to kick our feet up and read a good book or to start a conversation with a new person at the local establishment.

Just like summer, the more exposure we give the alcohol or the substance, the more wear and tear it has on our brain and on our body. Sometimes we need more of the substance to get the same effect, moving from that one relaxing drink to several drinks over several days. Then we find that those drinks do not satisfy like they used to, and we cannot get through the day without them.

As we move into Recovery Month, it is important to know that these dog days are only part of our story. They come around sometimes yearly and cause us to feel emotions, and irritations and to seek comfort and care. We can look around and find a spot to refresh, relax and gain access to the care that we need. Recovery can bring in a new season of life where we learn skills. A way to feel safe to remain in places where we can fill up the voids of relationship, pain, suffering and problems. Places where we can go out in the sun and not get burned as it were.

A balanced life of recovery provides us and our family with the best of all seasons, even the hot ones.

Health Partnership Clinic offers a comprehensive medical home that addresses all of your medical, dental and behavioral and substance-related needs. For more information call 913-730-3664.

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

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By Ming T. Strother, LSCSW, Behavioral Health Clinician

Ming T. Strother, LSCSWJuly is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. In 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives designated July as the Bebe Moore Campbell National Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time to bring focused attention to the unique challenges that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States face as it relates to mental health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), defines mental health as a state that includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects the way we think, feel, act, respond to stress, relate to others and make choices. Mental health issues are not uncommon, and according to the CDC, one in five adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness. Mental health issues are treatable and frequently preventable. However, not everyone has access to needed resources.

Access to Mental Health Care

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness MonthFrequently, people from racial and ethnic minority groups have trouble getting mental health care. Trouble getting help is attributable to several things. Inadequate health insurance and cost of care are significant barriers. It can also be difficult to find providers from one’s own racial or ethnic group. Stigma and negative ideas about mental health care also prevent people from seeking mental health services.

When we work together for mental health equity, everyone benefits and everyone has a role to play. As individuals, we can learn about mental health and healthy ways to cope with stress and loss. We can share information, coping skills, and resources with our family, friends, and community in language that projects compassion, acceptance, and that is non stigmatizing.

Within our communities, working to normalize conversations about mental health and sharing our own stories can be impactful. Also, tailoring the approach to conversations about mental health, being creative with wording, and making the connection between mental and physical health are effective ways to help with normalization of these conversations. We can educate ourselves and be aware of our own implicit biases and use of microaggressions, whether intentional or unintentional.

Mental Health Program Development

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness MonthPublic Health Organizations should be sure to include racial and ethnic minorities in program development and include their ideas, perspectives, and decision-making at every stage. Healthcare systems can routinely screen patients for depression and other mental health conditions. They should be prepared to refer patients to accessible services. They should make mental health materials available to patients on a variety of platforms. Also, efforts should be made to recruit mental health providers from racial and ethnic groups representing the population served.

States and communities should work to expand community-based mental health services that are culturally responsive and assure that they are accessible and affordable. Efforts should be made to review and revise policies that reinforce or promote stigma. Partnerships with community and faith-based leaders should be developed to encourage conversations about mental health to help reduce stigma.

To learn more about Health Partnership Clinic’s Behavioral Health Services, please visit our website.
To schedule an appointment, call 913-648-2266.

“People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly. In a race-conscious society, some don’t want to be perceived as having yet another deficit.”

— Bebe Moore Campbell

For more information, visit:

June is Pride Month!

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Jennifer Truman, LSCSW, LCSW, CCTPIIBy Jennifer Truman, LSCSW, LCSW, CCTPII, Lead Behavioral Health Clinician

The development of June as Pride Month dates back to the Stonewall Uprising that began on June 28, 1969 after a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The raids were a common form of the harassment and aggression toward the LGBTQ community at that time, and the Stonewall Uprising marked a major turning-point in the LGBTQ community’s response to discrimination.

Since the 1969 Stonewall Uprising much progress has been made for LGBTQ rights, however, progress toward equality of any group is always met with resistance. Continued advocacy is needed in order to sustain and develop the growth of rights for the LGBTQ community. A recent example of controversy affecting the LGBTQ community is the focus on members of the transgender community. Many opinions have been developed about this community without understanding of the community itself. The below information from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) can help provide an introduction to the people of the transgender community and some of the concerns they experience.

  • The word “transgender” – or trans – is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned to us at birth. Although the word “transgender” and our modern definition of it only came into use in the late 20th century, people who would fit under this definition have existed in every culture throughout recorded history.
  • The trans community is incredibly diverse. Some trans people identify as trans men or trans women, while others may describe themselves as non-binary, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, agender, bigender or other identities that reflect their personal experience. Some take hormones or have surgery as part of the transition, while others may change their pronouns or appearance.
  • In addition to experiencing problems related to stigma, harassment and discrimination, members of the trans community face problems around lack of health insurance coverage. An HRC Foundation analysis found that 22 percent of trans people and 32 percent of trans people of color have no health insurance coverage. More than one-quarter (29 percent) of trans adults have been refused health care by a doctor or provider because of their gender identity.

June is Pride Month!While political controversy has developed about members of the trans community and the health services they receive, healthcare organizations continue to recognize that gender-affirming care is well established as an appropriate aspect of an individual’s overall care. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends “providing youth with access to comprehensive gender-affirming and developmentally appropriate health care.” American Medical Association Board Member Michael Suk, MD, JD, MPH, MBA, states, “Gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based care that improves the physical and mental health of transgender and gender-diverse people.”

Good healthcare is built around effective relationships between patients, their families and healthcare providers. These relationships depend on the rights of individuals and families to work with their healthcare providers to make the health-related decisions that impact their lives. Health Partnership Clinic recognizes the right for all people to receive comprehensive, effective and compassionate healthcare based on their individual needs.

For more information about LGBTQ+ advocacy, visit the Human Rights Campaign website.

Mental Illness Awareness Week 2023: Together We Share, Together We Care

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John SmartBy John Smart, LSCSW, Behavioral Health Clinician

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) shares the following statement for Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW):

Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition — but mental illness affects everyone directly or indirectly through family, friends or coworkers. That is why each year, during the first week of October, NAMI and participants across the country raise awareness, fight discrimination and provide support.
National Alliance on Mental Illness

We believe that mental health conditions are important to discuss all year, but MIAW provides a dedicated time for mental health advocates across the country to come together as one unified voice. Since 1990, when Congress officially established the first full week of October as MIAW, advocates have worked together to sponsor activities, large or small, to educate the public about mental illness.

Mental Illness Awareness

Mental Health AwarenessMental illness awareness can be effectively approached on an individual and family level through considering the factors that contribute to our overall mental health, and remembering that mental health depends on many variables: addressing physical health needs, avoiding addictive substances, connecting with others in mutually supportive ways (this can include friends, family, volunteer work, spiritual support and pets), balancing needs for daily rest and activity and practicing mindfulness of our overall well-being. Mental illness awareness also includes advocacy and education. NAMI has a variety of tools and resources to support advocacy and education. NAMI and several other mental health advocacy organizations also provide connection to local support groups.

At HPC, we offer affordable, in-person and telehealth Therapy Services to Youth 12 and older, and adults.

Patients can schedule an appointment by calling 913-730-3664.

If you need to find professional help for a friend, family member or yourself, please see the additional resources below.

National and local resources:

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text to 988 or go to 988lifeline.org (online chat available including services for the deaf and hard of hearing)

National Alliance on Mental Illness: nami.org

Mental Health America: mhanational.org

Johnson County Mental Health:
913-826-4200
Crisis Line 913-268-0156
jocogov.org

Community mental health centers are found throughout the United States:

To find the community mental health center nearest you in Kansas or Missouri click the links below:

Kansas

Missouri

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

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Thao LeBy Thao Le, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

In 2022, a record high of 539,810 lives were lost to suicide in the United States – an increase of 2.6 percent over the previous year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), risk factors for suicide include:

  • Previous suicide attempt
  • History of depression and other mental illnesses
  • Serious illness such as chronic pain
  • Criminal/legal problems
  • Job/financial problems or loss
  • Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
  • Substance use
  • Current or prior history of adverse childhood experiences
  • Violence victimization and/or perpetration
  • Bullying
  • Family/loved one’s history of suicide
  • Loss of relationships
  • High conflict or violent relationships
  • Social isolation
  • Lack of access to healthcare
  • Suicide cluster in the community
  • Community violence
  • Stigma associated with help-seeking and mental illness
  • Easy access to lethal means of suicide among people at risk
  • Unsafe media portrayals of suicide

Suicide rates were highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people, males, and people who live in rural areas in 2021. Specific risk factors that could have led to an increase in suicide rates in 2022 include mental health related symptoms following the pandemic, financial stressors and lack of access to health care.

Healthcare professionals can help prevent suicide by:

  • Routinely screening patients for suicidal thoughts and behaviors
  • Consider hospitalization for patients at high risk for suicide
  • Refer to a higher level of care if needed.
  • Develop a crisis plan
  • Collaborate with family members
  • Collaborate therapists and psychiatric providers

In addition to identifying risk factors, healthcare providers should help identify and enhance protective factors among at-risk populations.

Protective Factors among at-risk populations include:

  • Effective coping and problem-solving skills
  • Reasons for living (for example, family, friends, pets, etc.)
  • Strong sense of cultural identity
  • Support from partners, friends, and family
  • Feeling connected to others
  • Feeling connected to school, community, and other social institutions
  • Availability of consistent and high quality physical and behavioral health care
  • Reduced access to lethal means of suicide among people at risk
  • Cultural, religious, or moral objections to suicide

If you are thinking about harming yourself or attempting suicide:

  • Suicide and Crisis LifelineCall 911 for emergency services.
  • Go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
  • Call or text 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Support is also available via live chat.

John Smart, LSCSW, Behavioral Health Clinician, along with his wife, Katelyn will represent HPC at the 20th Annual Remembrance Walk at Loose Park on Sunday, Sept. 10. John will have a table with information about HPC, and he and his wife will also participate in the walk.

Health Partnership offers therapy services, psychiatric medication management, and substance use services.

To schedule an appointment or more details, call 913-730-3664.

The Pain and Practice of a Changed Life

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Christopher WoodwardBy Christopher Woodward, LMAC, Substance Abuse Specialist

September is National Recovery Month. The aim of this month is to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who recover.

I always hear the statement “once I stop using, my life will get better.” That is a true statement in that our brain, body and family relationships gain recovery and rest when we stop using our substance of choice. A person can start the long process of rebuilding their hourly and daily lives.

However, the road is more emotionally and physically difficult for the person seeking recovery. For some substances, quite literally, there is more emotional and physical pain attached to recovery than resuming use. This is not great news for those early in recovery, but it is a welcome reminder of where we have come from for those that are a little further down the road. There is an opportunity to mend relationships, earn respect and push out of being marginalized by our substance of choice.

This pain and practice can lead us into the changed life.

Finding a reason to move out of our substance use into change is the first step. Making the change and practicing the change is step two.

The Pain and Practice of a Changed Life I had a mentor tell me once that the best evidence of a changed life is a changed life. It is a simple statement but really difficult to complete. So many of us will change the one thing that we think is holding us back. Whether it is cutting the carbs, stopping that afternoon Diet Coke, or not driving past the liquor store on the way home. These small changes can lead to successes which can lead to more success and momentum of change. Thus, we become better at practicing our change and our process.

We use the support of the people around us and our new skills obtained in treatment to push out of pain into practice of our recovery. We start to move on from the bigger moments of our past and our present. We move on from the trauma, missed expectations, and the wreckage that our substance use has left behind. If we keep up the practice of a changed life, we will one day look up from the work that we have done on ourselves, and our life is changed. We become the evidence of a changed life.

The next step is to serve others and help them along the path to recovery.

Health Partnership offers substance use services, therapy services and psychiatric medication management.

To schedule an appointment or more details, call 913-730-3664.

Substance Abuse Services Offered at Health Partnership Clinic

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By Christopher W. Woodward, LMAC, Substance Abuse Specialist

Health Partnership Clinic offers a variety of Substance Abuse Services, including:

  • Early Intervention Program
  • Outpatient Level I Program
  • Intensive Outpatient Treatment
  • Substance Use Assessments
  • DUI Assessments
  • Medication Assisted Treatment

Services are offered to individuals 12 years old and up.

Watch our video to learn more about Substance Abuse Programs offered at Health Partnership.

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

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By Ming Strother, LSCSW, Behavioral Health Clinician

National Minority Mental Health Month is observed during the month of July. Prior to her death in 2006, author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate Bebe Moore Campbell advocated tirelessly to bring light to the lack of mental health resources in the black and other underserved communities. Struggling to support her own daughter through her mental health needs, Moore Campbell worked with her friend Linda Wharton Boyd, and brought their efforts to Washington. After the death of Moore Campbell, Wharton Boyd, family, and other like-minded individuals continued their efforts in Washington, and in 2008, the U.S House of Representatives declared July as National Minority Mental Health Month.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death among blacks or African Americans ages 15- 24. The death rate from suicide for Hispanic men was four times the rate of Hispanic women in 2018. Black females in grades 9-12 were 60 percent more likely to attempt suicide in 2019 compared with Caucasian females in the same age range. Statistics show that suicide attempts for Hispanic girls were 30 percent higher than Caucasian girls in the same age range.

Minority Mental Health Awareness MonthPeople from ethnic minority groups are less likely to seek mental healthcare than their white counterparts for a multitude of reasons. There remains a general mistrust of the healthcare system among these groups. Other reasons for consideration include poverty, lack of access, lack of proper health insurance, provider discrimination, stigma and cost.

We can all help to bridge some of these gaps in care by working to destigmatize mental health within our communities. We can make efforts to use positive language when discussing mental health concerns. We can share our stories and encourage open and honest dialogue about these topics. We can volunteer our time. We can continue to advocate for equal access to services and fight to continue with efforts at expanding health insurance coverage.

To learn more about Health Partnership Clinic’s Behavioral Health Services, please visit our website.
To schedule an appointment call 913-648-2266.

“While everyone – all colors – everyone is affected by stigma – no one wants to say ‘I’m not in control of my mind.’ No one wants to say, ‘The person I love is not in control of [their] mind.’

But people of color really don’t want to say it because we already feel stigmatized by virtue of skin color or eye shape or accent and we don’t want any more reasons for anyone to say, ‘You’re not good enough.'”

-Bebe Moore Campbell

 

Other Organizations Offering Minority Mental Health Awareness Resources: