By Michelle Israel, LCSW-R, Director of Behavioral Health

This May – and throughout the year – let us continue to work together to bring awareness to mental health and substance use challenges. Use your voice to change lives!

Addressing mental health symptoms early is critically important for overall health.

This month, we are focused on the importance of connecting individuals to appropriate mental support services on a timely basis-- when they need it and without feeling shame.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder each year. Everyone is at risk of facing challenges in life that can impact their mental health. Experts tell us that the average delay between symptom onset and treatment is 11 years. Intervening during the early onset can save lives.

Multiple factors impact mental health from conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, and age that affect quality-of-life. The two-year COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health well-being of many individuals as their routines were disrupted, supports and services closed, significant grief and loss watching themselves and loved ones fall victim to the disease, and the social distancing and other restrictions placed on them to keep them safe but also disconnected them.

Individuals with disabilities and those with IDD are at a higher risk

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), disabilities impact all of us! Their infographic shows the 1 in 4 adults in the U.S., 61 million Americans, have a functional disability type. Public health and preventive health care is for all of us! Click here to access the CDC research.

Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are a vulnerable population. Several factors contribute to people with IDD being at greater risk for mental health and substance use disorders. These include lack of employment and lack of recreational options​, social isolation, transportation challenges, homelessness and housing instability, physical abuse, and trauma at a higher frequency, and overall lower socioeconomic status.​

What can be done to address the barriers and limitations to accessing mental health care?

First, we need to remove the limited availability of services and funding, along with attitudes, policies, and beliefs that discredit the needs of the individuals​ seeking care. We need to start thinking about our mental health the way we do our physical health. Better education and training will help.

Our care management workforce was fully certified through the nationally recognized evidence-based training program, Mental Health First Aid, a three-year certification. The Mental Health First Aid public education program was developed by the National Council of Mental Wellbeing to teach course participants how to identify, understand, and respond to mental health and substance use disorder warning signs and risk factors in adults.

The following was implemented to better support members and families:

• Training in Adult Mental Health First Aid
• Training in Understanding Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder
• Trauma informed Care
• Ongoing clinical supports for individuals in crisis
• Emphasizing approaches that support identifying practitioners that are skilled in supporting people with IDD

Through role-playing and simulations, the eight-hour, interactive program provided Care Managers with skills for supporting individuals with a mental health and/or substance use problem by recognizing symptoms of mental health problems, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate treatments and other support assistance. It helped to remove the fear and hesitation associated with starting conversations on mental health and substance use problems, thus decreasing the stigma surrounding psychiatric diagnoses

Click here to learn more about the Mental Health First Aid Training.

Mark Your Calendars

•  May 8-14 is National Prevention Week, an annual observance sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) dedicated to increasing public awareness and action around substance use prevention and promoting positive mental wellbeing.
  
  
•  Thursday, May 19, Mental Health America is encouraging and empowering people to take the next step by joining #MentalHealthAction. Click here to learn more. Take action to improve your mental health or assist a loved one.
  
  
• Saturday, May 21, Support Mental Health Awareness Day with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) in NYS (New York State) from 10:30 am - 2 pm in Washington Park, Albany. NAMI-NYS and NAMI CR (Community Residence) will be hosting a family friendly day to promote Mental Wellness & Recovery with music, games, activities, resources and more! Click here to learn more.

• Click here for June dates for NAMI NYC and Mid-Hudson events. To find all NAMI New York events, click here.

Mental Health America (2022). Prevalence of Mental Illness 2022.