Twelve Mental Health Newsletter Announcements
Announcements to use for your organization’s newsletters and communications.
Mental illnesses are not rare! For every 100 people, 20 have a diagnosed or diagnosable mental illness at any given time. About 50% of the population will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. The most common illnesses are depression and anxiety. Those with mental illnesses often cope with daily life (and cope with the stigma from others) by hiding those illnesses.
More women than men attempt suicide. However, more men die from suicide, because men usually use more lethal means (such as firearms). Men die at almost four times the rate as women.
Of all demographic groups in the United States, suicide is highest in middle-aged white men. This is often when men lose traditional roles—such as losing a spouse through death or divorce) or losing a job. Men with toxic masculinity are also at high risk for suicide—those who harbor racist attitudes, those who are bullies, and those who are aggressive toward things that are different than they have experienced.
A group at high risk for suicide and suicide ideation are LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those who have been rejected by their family or who have been victims of bullying. LGBTQ+ are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. Eighty percent of transgender individuals have considered suicide. Almost half have attempted suicide.
Every day, 18-22 military veterans die by suicide. Veterans are at high risk for suicide, particularly those who have seen combat or have untreated trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder. Medicine and therapy are very effective in treating trauma and PTSD, but only a small percentage of veterans find the help they need.
Suicide is preventable! Local communities can create interventions that minimize suicides. Medication and therapy are very effective at curtailing depression and suicide ideation. Classes and workshops can give people tools to cope with dark times. Many online resources are available for local communities.
“Deaths of despair” include deaths from alcohol, illicit drugs, and prescription drugs (such as opioid pain killers). The name comes from the hopelessness and despair that people feel as they consider suicide. They believe that there is no way out, or that their friends and family would be better off without them. Deaths of despair are rising in the United States.
Coping with stress is an important component of mental health. Like most components of mental health, stress management is a learned behavior. To cope with stresses, we can give more attention to self-care, find strategies to help us defuse stress when it hits us, and find ways to understand why our stressors are stressful.
Some people think that people who have a mental illness are aggressive or violent. But, statistics show that they are no more violent than the general population. People with mental illnesses are your work colleagues, your neighbors, and the members of your faith community. These people often cope with daily life by pretending everything is okay. We need to watch out for each other!
A couple decades ago, it was believed that children and youth don’t have mental health problems. Adolescents got moody, they thought, but didn’t get depression. Today, we know that half of all mental health disorders begin before they are 14 years old. More than 15% of high school students have considered suicide. Unfortunately, only 20% of children and adolescents get the help they need.
People often don’t know what to do to help someone who is having mental health issues. First, it’s important to remember that a mental health issue is a medical issue. Depression, for example is an issue with how brain cells (called neurons) communicate with each other. It is very effectively treated with medicine or therapy. But we can help people by caring for others with dignity and respect, by looking in on them, and doing what you can to help them access a clinic or therapy.
The average time it takes for a person experiencing mental health issues to get help: Eleven years. Some people take longer than that, some shorter, but the average is more than a decade. Imagine if you had a toothache and didn’t go to a dentist for ten years. Some people are afraid to seek help because they think they will be labeled as “crazy,” or they will be told to just “suck it up.” There is still a stigma about mental illness, and sometimes we don’t talk about it, leading to more stigma. We need to talk about mental health and mental illness until the stigma goes away.
If you found these narratives helpful, you might enjoy the upcoming book Suicide Prevention and Mental Health: What Community Leaders Need to Know. This book is for local communities who seek to begin a program that minimizes suicide ideation and improves mental health. Coming soon!
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More Mental Health and Psychology Resources on Amazon Kindle
Suicide Prevention and Mental Health: What Community Leaders Need to Know
Coming soon!
Mental Health in Your Community: A Planning Workbook for Leaders
Coming soon!
Meaning in Life: An Anchor for the Uncertain Journey
Strategy 101: An Introduction and Guide
Curiosity: A Path to Wellness
See Table of Contents and Excerpt
How to Write a Literature Review
How to Write a Literature Review: A Workbook in Six Steps
I’ll Start Writing Tomorrow: The Psychology of Thesis Procrastination and the Three Reasons Why It’s So Difficult to Finish That Final Paper
Getting Along: Teaching Social Skills to Children and Youth (with Laurie Ollhoff)
See Table of Contents and Excerpt
Buy for $3.99 on Amazon Kindle, or used paperbacks may be available
Keys to Quality After-School Time (with Laurie Ollhoff)