/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/SGCVGJ6LIZHKXGKKJTF7F2PNHE.png "Breaking the stigma: There is a “pandemic with mental health,” says prevention specialist")
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – Experts continue to push to break the stigma of talking about mental illness.
“Not only are we going through the coronavirus pandemic, but we’re also going through a mental health pandemic,” said Jalyn Harrison, prevention specialist at SpectraCare.
One in five American adults experiences a mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They also state that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34.
“Something I’ve come to realize is that we talk about suicide after hearing about a completed suicide,” Harrison said. “We talked about that when we heard someone who was well known in the nation who committed suicide.”
NAMI states that 1 in 20 adults experienced a serious mental illness in 2020, that’s 14.2 million people.
“It’s one of those things that we put a stigma on,” Harrison said.
A stigma that many people like Harrison are working to break.
“It’s a difficult conversation to start, it’s not something that’s going to be comfortable,” Harrison said. “And sometimes if we want change to happen, we have to get out of those comfort zones.”
46 percent of people who take their own lives had a diagnosed mental health condition.
“We like to put a stigma on suicide because some people say ‘it’s for the weak,’ some people say ‘you shouldn’t do that, it’s selfish,’ but whatever the myths are, those people are suffering,” he said. Harrison. “They’re in a place of pain, they’re in a place of depression, anxiety, that’s the only thing going through their mind that’s their way of getting help, that’s their way of getting out of that.”
Rose Blakey-Phillips is a behavioral health therapist at Scope of medical defense in Dothan. She said that the best way to help others is to know the warning signs.
“Some people have told me that if they had known the warning signs, they would have known better how to help their loved one,” Phillips said. “I have been told that so many times during my many years of work in suicide prevention.”
Some of those warning signs include someone talking about not having a reason to live, feeling hopeless or trapped, seeing an increase in drug and alcohol use, struggling to get too much or too little sleep, and withdrawing from others or feeling isolated .
But sometimes the warning signs are not visible.
“We mask ourselves, we like to have everything together on the outside and on the inside we are falling apart and I think that is something that we struggle with as a human race: being able to look more at other people, not just what is outside. Harrison said.
Phillips said this is where they come in to help.
“And talk to them about their thoughts and feelings and encourage them in ways that can be very helpful, not only to us as counselors, but also to us as loved ones,” Phillips said.
Wiregrass Suicide Prevention and Services have resumed meetings. They are every fourth Monday night at 6:00 at the Mixson Business Center on Main Street in Dothan. This is a group for people who have lost loved ones to suicide.
If you are looking for help or know someone who is, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. That’s 1(800)272-8255.
Below is a list of websites/resources if you are looking for help regarding your mental health:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
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