Spring is often a time for setting goals and looking toward the future. We are witness to growth and rebirth as the grass turns green, trees bud and daffodils catch the eye under bright blue skies. Yet not everyone sees the world in this way.

In the United States, almost half of all adults (46.4%) will experience mental illness during their lifetime (footnote 1), and only 41% of people with a mental illness seek professional help (2). Statewide, over 1.9 million New Yorkers (1.77 million adults and 156,000 youth ages 12 to 17) have a substance use condition (3). We are all likely to have a friend, family member or an acquaintance whose firsthand experience with mental illness is intensified by substance use. When someone asks for help, we need to know how to help and how to connect to community resources.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It serves as a great opportunity for our community to speak openly about every day struggles and break through the stigma of mental illness. There are many definitions for stigma, but all speak to how someone’s condition might lead others to look at them less favorably and assign a label/stereotype to them. It is difficult to live with a label and be judged because of it. We all know what it is to carry a burden since we all share the burden of the pandemic. For anyone living with a mental illness, the feelings of increased anxiety, stress and isolation due to COVID-19 add additional weight to a daily struggle.

The Franklin County Suicide Prevention Coalition, in collaboration with many of our partners, has launched a countywide initiative to distribute mental health and wellness resources during the month of May. We will be sharing educational materials about mental illness and recovery, as well as information about supports and services available in our communities. These materials will include how to recognize the signs of suicide and whom to call before a situation becomes a crisis. The coalition also has a variety of everyday items available such as reusable shopping bags, water bottles and tee shirts, many of which include contact information for our local and national crisis lines. If your group, agency or business would like to distribute materials to your members or employees, please contact Franklin County Community Services at 518-891-2280 or Community Connections at 518-521-3507. Look for a series of articles about mental health and resource ads in our local papers. There will be community events in Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake and Malone, where many of our community partners will be available to share agency specific information.

The coalition has accepted the challenge by the National Alliance on Mental Health to help start conversations about mental health in our communities and “break through the walls of stigma.” You can be a part of our effort by sharing our resources with your friends and families and knowing what to do when someone needs help.

For information about the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Coalition, please contact Franklin County Community Services at 518-891-2280 or Community Connections at 518-521-3507.

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Suzanne Lavigne is the director of Franklin County Community Services, based in Saranac Lake.

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Footnotes:

1. “Mental Health First Aid,” National Council for Behavioral Health

2. “Mental Health First Aid,” National Council for Behavioral Health

3. New York State Department of Health