The real story about mental health

These words represent the very realistic stigma that pervades our culture. To really understand why stigma is dangerous to our community, we need to look up the definition. One dictionary defines it as “a sign of shame related to a particular situation, quality, or person.”

Let’s sink it for a moment. The truth is that people who feel that mental illness has imprints and is characteristic of all types of mental illness often experience deep shame. Mental illness is more common than diabetes, but our society still hides this topic in a closed room, so to speak. So why can’t we open the door when one in five suffers from some mental illness in their lifetime? Well, the stigma of mental illness is mainly due to lack of understanding and education. Here on Kauai, our community is in close contact, which gives us a great opportunity to inform, support and make changes together. There are groups and resources on the island dedicated to this task, and I think it’s time to put on the shoes that kick the door after talking to passionate mental health advocates.

Kauai Mental Health Advocate

We interviewed Franci Davila, co-founder of Kaua’i Mental Health Advocates, for a very insightful interview. You may remember seeing a flyer for a mental health benefit show hosted by local artists, performers and speakers to raise money and awareness before the pandemic. They organized primarily for the surge in suicide on Kauai, and their mission was to “condemn the negative notion of mental illness.” Before COVID rocked the island, it was an impactful way to get together and get the community to talk about mental health. “As a community organizer, things aren’t slowing down and aren’t stopping,” says Davila. “For the practitioner, there was simply a learning curve.” The live event moved to a virtual workshop during the required distance. This actually makes the community even more accessible. During the pandemic, community needs are intensifying and new channels are needed to meet those needs. I asked her the needs presented over the last few months. “Some people need concrete basics such as food shelter, safety, etc. Others need help with addiction, healthy relationships, previous trauma, etc.” During the month, fear and anxiety are clearly more present. However, Davila remained positive as it began listing resources available to those in need.

Prevention

The most powerful tool we have is prevention. Prevention means using the resources needed to prevent a crisis. It’s amazing that 9% of Kauai’s youth attempted suicide last year. Fortunately, there are local organizations focused on prevention. For example, the Kauai Resilience Project leads workshops and discussions on youth mental health and provides information for adults to protect and support them. KMHA and the Kauai Resilience Project have collaborated to create a “Youth Mental Health First Aid” workshop. These workshops are designed to help adults understand the challenges facing young people here and provide research-led solutions to these challenges. I checked their website atkeikitocareer.com/call-to-action/Kauai-resilience and was impressed with the joint efforts. KMHA also hosts a monthly series called “Community Conversations” via Zoom. The last conversation was about anxiety, and they are working hard on the following in a series related to the holiday and mental health challenges that are always present at this time of idealized cheers. For more information on upcoming events hosted by KMHA and the Kauai Resilience Project, please visit the Instagram page at k.mentalhealth.a. The value of these informative events and presentations cannot be exaggerated, but Davila told me it was important to have a conversation between ourselves. And what if the conversation opens? “The conversation never ends,” says Davila. “Follow-up after revealing that someone is having a hard time is very important. The community needs to continue to show up with each other, both officially and informally.” My friend Leah Hatcher said. She was enthusiastic about studying the mental illness classes offered as part of her bachelor’s degree, and she sincerely agreed. She was shocked to learn that the average time people wait to seek help with a mental illness is 10 years. Stigma is the real culprit here. So creating a supportive environment where you can discuss mental health is arguably the most influential thing we can do. However, it is not enough to be willing to support each other. You need real tools to have the right conversation and know what to say and when. Hatcher informed me of a free presentation via Zoom, discussing with Stigma how to remove it from each other’s interactions. The November 9th presentation, “Make it Okay,” will show you how to use interactive tools and exercises to address people who have revealed a mental illness. You can join the presentation by sending an email to [email protected]. Check makeitok.org for more information on stigma.

Intervention and ex post

Among the resources available for intervention are crisis hotlines, such as the 1-800-753-6879 Hawaii Suicide Prevention Line. 741741 also has a line of text. KMHA also offers a free two-day workshop for adults called ASSIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. Held on November 12th and 13th, seating capacity is limited. Please see the leaflet for registration information. Postvention, a new term for me, was described by Davila as the additional support needed for invasive thinking that often exists during some period after a crisis. This support can take the form of medical care, lifestyle, counseling, and follow-up from friends and family. The word “follow-up” was re-emphasized as “important to save more lives.”

“I can do this myself”

That was Davira’s answer when asked, “What is the mental health stereotype you want to change immediately?” She continued. “We need a more universal view of mental health, a community approach rather than an individual. We need to leverage our network.” What can you do? Talk about it. Talk about your personal challenges, open conversations for others to do so, use free educational tools, share what you have learned, and repeat. Volunteers are always needed, so you can also join these local organizations. Let’s normalize the actual story about mental health. Let’s make it okay to challenge. No one has to “do this for themselves”, so it’s okay to ask for help. Our community is ready to speak.

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Cynthia Fowler Is a Certified Personal Trainer (NASM), Orthodontic Exercise Specialist (NASM), Registered Vinyasa Yoga Teacher (RYT 200), Certified Enhance Fitness Teacher, Group Exercise Instructor (TRX, Indoor Cycling, HIIT, SMR, etc.), and Owner of Foundation Up Fitness. , Blogger, Health Coach. She can be contacted through her website, foundationupfitness.com, or directly at [email protected].