Since 1949, May has been observed as Mental Health Month, a time when efforts are made to bring increased awareness and change to enhance the lives of people with mental health diagnoses. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we offer treatment for individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and we believe knowledge is a powerful tool in helping people receive the help they need to recover.
Why Mental Health Month Matters
Virginia is ranked 40th in the nation for access to mental health care, despite efforts to enhance services in the state by:
- Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates
- Offering more funding for emergency opioid kits
- Enhancing crisis services
- Increasing staffing at state mental health facilities
- Offering more housing options tailored to people with severe mental illness
- Making transportation for inpatient mental health hospitalization available through a private transportation company, instead of law enforcement
Addressing Stigma and Myths
One of the issues that Mental Health Month seeks to address is the lack of understanding around mental health. There are a lot of myths that are widely believed about mental illness, which can lead to stigma and shame for people who experience mental health struggles. Some of the most common myths include:
- People with mental health diagnoses are violent. This may be fueled by the media focusing on mental illness following mass shootings or movies using mental illness as an explanation for violent characters, however, only around five percent of crime in the United States is committed by a person with a mental health disorder. Also, mass shootings have been more closely correlated with hatred and inability to cope with a stressful event, than with mental illness. People with mental health diagnoses are generally more likely to become victims of crime than to perpetrate it.
- PTSD only happens to soldiers/Veterans. Trauma can and does happen to all sorts of people, so PTSD can also happen to all sorts of people.
- Psychiatric medications are an easy way out. Medications to treat mental health conditions help to regulate the chemicals in the brain. It’s not so different than a diabetic using medications to help their pancreas do its job or an asthmatic who has an inhaler to facilitate unobstructed breathing. As with people who have medical conditions, people with mental health disorders, often do more than just take medication to treat their problem. Therapy, diet, exercise, and self-care are a big part of many treatment plans.
- If people with mental illness try hard enough, they can get over their condition. Psychiatric disorders are often the result of chemical imbalances in the brain, trauma, and other factors that a person cannot simply “get over”. It takes time and proper treatment for most people to learn how to cope with mental illness.
- Mental illness does not happen to children. Around half of adults who have mental health disorders first experienced symptoms before the age of 14 and 75 percent showed signs before the age of 24. For this reason, it is important for parents, teachers, pediatricians, coaches, and other adults who regularly interact with children and teens to know the signs of mental illness and how to get help for young people.
- People with mental illnesses can’t live normal lives. Many people with mental health disorders hold down full-time jobs and have very productive careers. Employers and co-workers often don’t even know they have a mental illness unless they choose to share this information.
- I cannot help a person who is mentally ill. If you know someone with a mental health diagnosis, you can play a huge role in supporting their recovery. Friends and family can help by seeing the person as more than their diagnosis and helping them to maintain a normal life, even through mental health episodes; spending time with them, so they do not become isolated; helping them access mental health supports; modeling healthy self-care practices and coping techniques; and advocating and educating people about mental health.
At Safe Harbor Recovery Center, we understand that mental health and substance use disorders often go hand in hand. Our treatment approach offers individualized care that meets the unique needs of each patient we serve, utilizing trauma-informed, evidence-based practices.