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Mental Health Month is meant to raise awareness for mental health and the way it can affect children, adults, families, and communities. Mental Health Month was established in 1949 to shine a spotlight on the importance of mental health and wellness in the lives of Americans. Similarly, it is a time to celebrate those who have recovered from mental illness. These past 20 years have seen various departments across the federal government, the health community, and the general public all attempting to understand the prevention and treatment of mental health problems. This understanding has improved the outlook for the well-being of those struggling with their mental health.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It can also determine how we make our choices, handle stressful situations, and relate to others. Mental health is not something that only affects you at a certain age; children to adults all need to value their mental health. Some important things that can factor into the state of your mental health problems are biological – such as genes or brain chemistry, and life experience – such as trauma and abuse. Struggling with your mental health is not a dooming sentence; most people with mental health problems can get better and may recover fully.
How to Support Someone Struggling with Mental Health
It can be very difficult to watch someone you love become someone you are not used to because they are suffering from their mental health. However, you should never feel powerless in helping them. There are various ways to support them through this difficult time and recovery.
Something that will always help is knowing what you need to look for. This may mean that you need to do some research on the types of mental illness your loved one is suffering from and what recovery should look like. That way you can know when things are going well or not. Similarly, it adds a level of understanding to their situation which may bring you closer to them.
Another way to offer support is through seeking help. Your loved one may be too ill to be the best advocate for themself, so being able to help with scheduling their appointments and determining the appropriate treatment for them will be an amazing help.
Being emotionally supportive may be the most important way to help your loved one. A lot of people struggling with their mental health may feel like they are to blame for their illness. While that is not true, they may be hearing that from other sources. Reassuring them that they are not alone and should not feel ashamed will make a world of difference.
Resources
Here are a few resources that you may use or share with a loved one who is suffering from their mental health.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255); In Spanish 1-888-628-9454
- Crisis Text Line: Text “HELLO” to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Line: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and press 1 or text to 838255
- Disaster Distress Helpline: Call or text 1-800-985-5990
Agents
We hope this information on mental health month is helpful to you.
Empower Brokerage is dedicated to helping you educate your clients on the insurance they need and staying on top of their health. Whether it’s through webinar training, one-on-one calls, seminars, or marketing plans. We want you to be successful. Give us a call if you have any questions 888-539-1633.
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Kayla is a graduate of Texas A&M University and joined the marketing team at Empower Brokerage in early 2021. She creates content for the company websites and assists with various marketing campaigns. LinkedIn Profile
