Public Health

Destigmatize mental health to treat illness and prevent suicide

Surmountable Social Issues
May 18, 2022
5 min read
Talk openly about mental health for everyone's benefit / iStock

Issue 18 • Week of May 15, 2022 • Updated October 18, 2022

Anyone in the US needing emergency mental health support should dial 988 or text HOME to 741741 to connect to crisis counselors for free, 24/7.

This new lifeline started in 2022 and would benefit from more volunteers in every state, so if this issue is important to you, please consider applying or encouraging others who are sympathetic.

If you or someone you care about requires international help, click here.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

The US has the third highest rate of mental illness globally while most people lack both sufficient financial support and professionals nearby to treat them. We should talk more openly about some of the root causes in our culture since many are political.

Until then, someone you know already has a mental illness who is not getting the help they need and that should concern everyone. Conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to OCD and PTSD directly affect 1 in 5 Americans and cause a number of ripple effects.

It is up to us to be there for our friends and family as we too could have some bad luck and find ourselves in a similar situation due to the wide variety of causes or triggers – especially since half of those suffering reported that the pandemic worsened their mental state and our society is still grappling with the psychological effects of social media, both positive and negative. We also owe it to the 8+ million mental health caregivers to provide adequate space and self-care support.

What more can we do as a society?

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