WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 

The COVID-19 pandemic has cut a swath through the United States and the world with lives lost, people who suffer from long COVID, exhausted healthcare workers, and businesses that have been upended. The pandemic has also taken its toll on our mental health.

Even before the pandemic, one in eight people globally was diagnosed with a mental disorder. Take that number and double it with the social isolation of the last few years, difficulty in connecting to counselors and mental health advocates and we have a deepening crisis on our hands Today, we are facing a shortage of funds and experts to help those who are suffering. Too many people struggle in silence, afraid of the stigma of mental health disorders, and a lack of diagnosis and treatment.

During the first year of the pandemic anxiety and depressive disorders were estimated to have risen 25%. We have a crisis that will not go away.

We are all affected when our family members, friends, and neighbors suffer from untreated mental illness. Violence, family strife, economic struggles, and suicide are all ramifications of this untreated problem.

Access to mental health care is a right and should be more accessible. We can all play a role in increasing awareness. World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to recognize the challenges collectively and to commit ourselves to addressing the problem globally and in our own back yards.

~Nancy