Community support for mental health
It took a while for Sonia to pick up the phone and ask for help. But no one in her family understood what she and her 13-year-old daughter Ana were going through, or were willing to talk about it. Ana had been recently diagnosed with anxiety and depression and Sonia was in pain too. “I was watching my daughter suffer and I didn't know how to help.” The physical isolation of the pandemic made everything worse. Ana's doctor gave Sonia the number for the bilingual Help Line at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Santa Cruz County. She was filled with doubt about how a phone call could help, but when she finally reached out, everything changed.
May is Mental Health Awareness month and mental health statistics have been in the news everywhere. It's clear that mental illness is a public health crisis. We know that at least one in five adults experiences mental illness each year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in six youth ages 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder each year and suicide had already become the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-34. Since then, that picture has only become worse. According to new CDC data, released last month, during the pandemic more than 1 in 3 high school students experienced poor mental health and nearly half felt persistently sad or hopeless. We also know that these international and national statistics are reflected here at home in Santa Cruz County across all races, classes and genders.
But statistics feel totally irrelevant when it's you or someone you love who is suffering from mental illness. No matter how much mental health is in the news, it can still feel terrifying to talk about it when we ourselves are affected because when it comes right down to it, mental illness is still stigmatized, feels shameful, and deeply isolating.
But it doesn't have to be.
You aren't alone and there is a whole community ready to support you. Every day at
NAMI SCC we see people go from despair and suffering to recovery.
Over the past two years, NAMI SCC has ensured that we have the staff and capacity to meet our county's growing need for mental health – and meet that need equitably. We've grown our Spanish programs 300%, hired four bilingual/bicultural staff members, and partnered with trusted organizations in Pajaro Valley including Salud Para La Gente and Community Bridges to ensure that we can support Santa Cruz County's Spanish speaking community. We offer no-cost bilingual (English and Spanish) education and support to those affected by mental illness and their care providers. We partner with middle and high schools to teach youth about mental health and bust the stigma that can prevent youth from seeking help. We advocate for solutions such as suicide prevention strategies, preventative care, including for youth and for those with the first symptoms of mental illness and support for activities that stop jails from becoming an alternative to mental health treatment.
Since that first Help Line call, Sonia enrolled in, and completed, NAMI SCC's sixweek Basics Class for parents and family caregivers of children and teens (ages 1117). This class is for parents of youth who are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness or who have already been diagnosed. In the class, she learned facts about mental health conditions; how best to support Ana at home, at school, and when getting medical care; and perhaps most importantly, she connected with other parents who were in her same situation.
Sonia says that she now feels equipped to be Ana's advocate. “I know now that there is a community full of support that I can reach out to.” For other families facing similar challenges, she urges them to pick up that phone and call.
“Help is right there.”