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Anne Arundel mental health resources are available

Maryland Gazette - 5/16/2021

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time when we raise greater awareness about mental illness through educational events and activities which emphasize that mental illness is treatable.

Since stigma still remains a barrier to many individuals seeking treatment, Mental Health Awareness Month is a great opportunity to bring our united message that mental illness is a health issue like any other somatic illness that is manageable and treatable.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly one in five adults in America live with a serious mental illness. One-half of all chronic mental health conditions begin by the age of 14, with three-quarters by the age of 24. An estimated 17.3 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. An estimated 31.1% of adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. Approximately 7.9 million adults have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

A study from the Institute of Medicine found that nearly one in five older Americans has one or more mental health or substance use conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, adults in the 75-84 and 85 and older age groups are among those with the highest rates of suicide.

We recognize that even individuals who may have never experienced mental health distress in the past are feeling increased anxiety, stress, and depression as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The long months of social distancing, the rise in unemployment, and so many lives lost over the course of the year, have challenged our ability to remain hopeful. It is our goal to help build community wellness and bring hope to our residents.

We want to remind everyone that support is just a call or click away: Warmline 410-768-5522 and .aamentalhealth.org.

In addition to these resources, our state and federal partners and advocacy organizations, such as the Behavioral Health Administration, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Mental Health Association of Maryland, have a number of resources on their webpage to address the mental health needs of our communities and to help minimize the impact of COVID 19 has on our mental health. We encourage you to visit their websites, and offer the following direct resource links:

Mental Health Supports During the COVID-19 Crisis (maryland.gov)

COVID-19-Updated-Guide-1.pdf (nami.org)

Coping in the era of coronavirus: A webinar for students (apa.org)

Resources to Support Mental Health and Coping with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Suicide Prevention Resource Center (sprc.org)

We need to remember, particularly during these unusual times, to focus on the things we can control, stay connected (even if virtually) with family and friends, and take advantage of the numerous resources that are available to help minimize stress and anxiety.

With COVID 19 vaccinations now available to everyone, this will bring us one step closer to building community wellness. We need to encourage our neighbors, our friends, and our families to get vaccinated. This will help unite us in our journey to regain wellness and hope for brighter days ahead.

Finally, we understand that there continues to be inequities in health. Social determinants, which are conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, are mostly responsible for health disparities. Socio-economic conditions, racism, historic adversity, and race-based exclusion from health, educational, social and economic resources have a direct link to mental health issues.

Despite notable improvements in the overall health of Americans, there continues to be striking disparities in the burden of illness and death experienced in by African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

To bring greater awareness to addressing health disparities, Mental Health Awareness Month gives us another platform to educate our communities and our provider network on building cultural competencies that translate to quality services and better health outcomes for all Marylanders. Together, we can build equity and improve access to needed services and supports for improved community wellness.

The Mental Health Agency would like to encourage you to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month this year by joining us in our united message of hope that mental illness is treatable, and community wellness is attainable.

Adrienne Mickler is the executive director of the Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency.