Mental Health Mondays: Stopping the stigma, sharing the resources
Team Hope sets up shop at a Carmichaels High School Football game, where students and fans could access information before rooting on the home team. From left are Brean Fuller; Melissa Ewart, hospital and community liaison for Greene County Human Services Mental Health Program; Allen Miller, who helped start Team Hope after losing his son to suicide; and Melanie Trauth, Child and Adolescent Social Service Program coordinator, system of care coordinator for GCHS Mental Health Program. (Photo courtesy of Brean Fuller)
Anyone experiencing a mental health emergency can contact their local hotline, or just remember the national number, 988. (Graphic by Trista Thurston)
news@greenecountymessenger.com
In December of last year, Meghan Markle announced in the Netflix docu-series, 无毛视频淗arry & Meghan,无毛视频� that she无毛视频檇 struggled with suicidal thoughts during her time at the palaces.
Love her or hate her, Markle无毛视频檚 revelation is part of a growing trend in which celebrities, including actors like Ryan Reynolds and athletes like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, speak out about their mental health.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a 24/7, 3-6-5 push to break down the stigma of accessing mental health care,无毛视频� said David W. Rider, administrator of Fayette County Behavioral Health Administration (FCBHA). 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e very aware of celebrities, including athletes, openly addressing their mental health needs. That helps break down the stigma.无毛视频�
Concerted efforts to end the stigma surrounding mental health date to at least 1949, when Mental Health America launched the first Mental Health Month. Each May, organizations raise awareness of and combat the stigma surrounding mental health.
More than 50 million Americans are currently experiencing mental illness, according to MHA无毛视频檚 无毛视频淭he State of Mental Health in America, 2023.无毛视频�
That无毛视频檚 21% of the adult population.
More than half of those adults do not receive treatment, with 28% foregoing therapy and other mental health care due to cost. The ratio of mental health-care providers to consumers is 1:420.
无毛视频淥ur biggest challenge now is just having staff to provide mental health services,无毛视频� said Brean Fuller, mental health administrator for Greene County. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e had a lot of staff resign recently. They are either going to jobs that have a more flexible schedule or that are paying them more money to do a less stressful job.无毛视频�
Numbers for the percentage of Greene County无毛视频檚 population struggling with mental health are not available, but Fuller said more and more people are seeking services, straining providers.
Last year, 35 people in Greene County were hospitalized for mental health reasons between January and the end of April. This year, 46 have been hospitalized to date for the same reasons.
无毛视频淚t is not surprising to me,无毛视频� said Fuller. 无毛视频淣ot with the difficulties that people have had to face in the last several months, and just everything that无毛视频檚 going on: There无毛视频檚 the pandemic, there无毛视频檚 the economic stressors, there are just a number of things going on in society today that really have increased the number of people who have sought out services.无毛视频�
Folks reaching out are dealing with symptoms of anxiety and depression, Fuller said, and younger people are starting to ask for help.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e certainly had an increase in those individuals seeking services in 无毛视频� what we refer to as transition-age youth, 16 to 24 age range,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淭hat pressure is building up on them. They无毛视频檙e realizing that they need to seek out those services, and they无毛视频檙e doing so.无毛视频�
Greene County is stepping up efforts to connect individuals to resources and end the stigma surrounding mental health.
Greene County has a 24/7 crisis hotline 无毛视频� dial 1-800-417-9460 for help 无毛视频� a walk-in crisis center and a mobile crisis unit that meets people in person to deescalate mental health crises.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e actually in a really good position in Greene County as far as crisis services go,无毛视频� Fuller said, noting the county received a grant from the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse to create a crisis intervention team.
The county also has Team Hope, a suicide prevention task force, and recently launched the Hope Squad in all five of its school districts; elected students are trained to provide support to peers struggling with mental health.
无毛视频淲e hope to see the progression of talking about mental health in schools,无毛视频� Fuller said, adding, 无毛视频淲e don无毛视频檛 want people in the community labeled as 无毛视频榗razy.无毛视频� We want people to say, 无毛视频極h, I see this person is struggling. How can I support them?无毛视频� That无毛视频檚 a big job.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 a big job in Washington County, too, said Jennifer Scott, behavioral health and developmental services administrator for Washington County Behavioral Health & Development Services (WCBHDS).
无毛视频淥ne of the things we really focus on is fighting stigma. We see it across all ages,无毛视频� Scott said. 无毛视频淲e have recently started doing outreach to senior centers, Depression Bingo, letting them know it无毛视频檚 OK to speak up because a lot of them were raised to think that it wasn无毛视频檛. Kids just have fear in general. Stigma plays a huge role (in accessing resources). We无毛视频檙e trying to find new and unique ways to get the word out there that hey, it无毛视频檚 OK, we all need help sometimes.无毛视频�
The agency is hosting a 无毛视频淪hine the Light on Mental Health & Suicide Awareness无毛视频� Color Run May 20 to combat stigma and bring the community together. There are several online trainings available to those interested, with more events planned for later this year.
无毛视频淲e really need to make sure our message is out there 24/7, 365,无毛视频� Scott said.
Scott said about 10,000 Washington County residents of all ages are currently experiencing mental illness 无毛视频� and that number accounts for just those qualifying for medical assistance to pay for mental health needs.
无毛视频淭here are far more than that,无毛视频� said Scott, noting the majority of individuals seeking help in the county experience depression and anxiety.
Along with a 24/7 walk-in crisis center at 852 Henderson Ave., Washington, and a mobile crisis unit available throughout the county, people are encouraged to call the 24/7 crisis hotline at 1-877-225-3567 when they or loved ones are experiencing a mental health crisis.
SPHS, which operates the walk-in center, mobile unit and crisis hotline with WCBHDS funding, recently launched a text hotline geared toward a younger generation: 724-715-3584.
The text hotline is getting more use, Scott said, and the county recently added a crisis worker specially trained to work with children and adolescents. The focus on younger people is important, as Washington County has seen an uptick in the number of people from the younger generation seeking mental health support.
无毛视频淚 certainly am not a researcher, but we无毛视频檝e heard and seen a few things. COVID definitely impacted individuals; kids didn无毛视频檛 have exposure to socialization. Social media has a big impact with cyberbullying,无毛视频� Scott said. 无毛视频淢ore psychologists and psychiatrists are noticing mental health starting as young as a few months old. Sometimes (they have) had some separation issues with family members. It无毛视频檚 also, there are some things that are just innate. It无毛视频檚 both environmental and physical.无毛视频�
Scott said she and her team are always searching for new ways to get the word out, connect people to resources, and, of course, end the stigma.
无毛视频淧hysical health and mental health are really the same thing,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淧eople are willing to go to the doctor if they have diabetes or a cold. You have to have good mental health if you want to have good physical health.无毛视频�
That无毛视频檚 the message Rider is trying to spread in Fayette County, where crisis hotline calls have increased.
无毛视频淎s the county无毛视频檚 24/7 Crisis Intervention provider we have seen a dramatic increase in calls to our Crisis Line of 30%. We are also one of 12 988 National Crisis Line call centers in Pennsylvania. The 988 service began operations in July and, once again calls have increased each month since July,无毛视频� Mike Quinn, CEO of Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services, said in an email. 无毛视频淣ationally, children being seen in emergency departments for psychiatric reasons has increased by 25%. While similar statistics for Fayette County are not readily available, we have reason to believe the same is true in our local hospital emergency rooms.无毛视频�
Fayette County is well-equipped to provide services to anyone struggling with their mental health, be it a long-term diagnosis, like bipolar disorder, or depression following the death of a loved one, said Rider.
无毛视频淩ight now, we have six licensed outpatient mental health clinics in the county. We have many independent practitioners. There are a lot of treatment resources available,无毛视频� Rider said. 无毛视频淚f there无毛视频檚 a crisis, there are a couple of doors that folks can enter. They can call 988; there无毛视频檚 13 988 call centers across the commonwealth. One of those is right here in Fayette County.无毛视频�
The direct dial crisis hotline 无毛视频� 724-437-1003 无毛视频� is staffed by Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services, which offers services to the greater community and has satellite offices in county high schools. That resource is provided with parental consent, Rider said, for minors, and a convenient way for older teens to access mental health care.
无毛视频淐hestnut Ridge and our office tries to make sure that the parents are active participants in the outpatient treatment,无毛视频� Rider said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e seeing a lot of people have a very curated and positive presence on social media, and many of us, when we compare ourselves to the bright, shiny experiences on social media, that无毛视频檚 another stressor that our grandparents didn无毛视频檛 have. We无毛视频檙e left with whether to ignore it or talk about it.无毛视频�
The one barrier to access in Fayette County, Rider said, is mental health-care staffing, but he noted the six outpatient facilities and additional independent providers, along with other area resources, do meet resident needs.
无毛视频淲e have great, committed providers. We无毛视频檝e taken very seriously supporting those provider partners. We无毛视频檙e very proud of them,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淥f course, we would love for folks to go to college, get advanced degrees and come into the field.无毛视频�
To facilitate connection between the community and resources, FCBHA, in tandem with Beacon Health Options, is hosting a Mind Your Health resource fair, complete with games, food and other entertainment, from 3 to 6 p.m. May 3 at the Uniontown YMCA, 1 YMCA Lane. Folks are encouraged to drop in for the food and games and stay for the 25 to 30 vendors who will be on-site providing mental health information and resources.
Other events through May include 无毛视频淏urn Out the Stigma,无毛视频� a free car show at the Dawson Grange Community Fairgrounds. The fun begins at 10 a.m., with live music and games, food trucks, speakers and educational booths entertaining and informing until 4 p.m.
无毛视频淲e want mental health care to be convenient for folks. We want to connect people to resources,无毛视频� said Rider. 无毛视频淭he best resource is a resource that people access, that people use. I would just welcome folks to reach out to office and see what we can connect them to.无毛视频�
To contact the Fayette County BHA, visit https://www.fayettecountypa.org/264/Behavioral-Health, or call 724-430-1370.
For more on Greene County无毛视频檚 Mental Health Program, go to https://www.co.greene.pa.us/department-mental-health-program, or call 724-852-5276.
To connect with the Washington County BHDS, visit https://washingtoncountyhumanservices.com/agencies/behavioral-health-developmental-services/contact or call 724-228-6832.