Mental Health Awareness Month has been celebrated since 1949 with the goal of helping to increase awareness around mental health symptoms and services, as well as to celebrate recovery from mental, behavioral, or emotional diagnoses. It is a month focused on awareness and connection. It is also a time to reflect on the progress we have made when it comes to treating mental health, and to shed light on what is still necessary for growth and support of our communities.
Unfortunately access to mental health resources doesn’t come as easy to some as it does for others, for a variety of reasons. Despite how far we have come with normalizing experiencing mental health symptoms, there is still great stigma around receiving care. Whether there are social or cultural factors at play, stigma can prevent someone from seeking the care they need. Other factors that are barriers to receiving care include affordability of care, time for appointments, shortages of services in some areas, as well as a shortage of mental health care providers as we see an increase in demand.
Luckily the progress that we have seen in technology over the years has helped improve knowledge around mental health and access to services. Emergence of telehealth services, where a patient is able to meet with their healthcare provider virtually via video, removes some barriers to treatment for folks in rural areas, those who lack access to reliable transportation, or for people who are just on a tight schedule for receiving care.
The ability to search for resources online has also improved significantly over the years to help people gain knowledge about mental health, and get connected to resources in their area.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please see the list of resources below and know there is help available and hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Mental Health Resources:
Schedule With a Professional at Plymouth Psych Group
763-559-1640
Connect with Other Mental Health Services
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Text, Call, or Chat 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness Resources
Mental Health Minnesota
https://mentalhealthmn.org/about-us/
