One of our coaches passed along an article that shows 90% of Americans believe there is a mental health crisis in the United States.
Being a psychologist, I read about and talk to others in the field about mental health so it is on the forefront of my mind. With 9 out of 10 saying they believe there is a crisis, it shows they have been thinking about mental health also. This survey was not a study of records, it is about the perception of mental health.
About half of those polled said that someone in their family or someone they knew had experienced a severe mental health crisis and were a threat to themselves or others or engaged in self-harm.
We know that the recent pandemic probably made mental health for some worse, but it may have helped awareness rise. The number of people seeking help for mental health related issues has increased in the last two years.
Last month, the National Suicide Prevention number was changed to 988 and saw an increase of 45% calls compared to the previous year. People are reaching out and accessing help when they are the most vulnerable.
Hopefully some of the stigma attached to mental health is being eroded and we can create a safe and open environment for people to talk about their mental health and seek treatment.
At Live On Purpose TV we have lots of videos that seek to support mental health. Search the playlist and forward a video to someone who may need to learn about mental hygiene.
DrPaul