When is it ok to talk about mental illness and addiction? Any time.

The Mercer County Department of Human Services has resolved to make 2018 the year to begin to uproot the stigma that confronts people with mental illness and addiction. In the spring, the department embarked on a yearlong campaign, “Stigma Free Mercer,” and on July 12 county representatives attended the Trenton Thunder game to further this vital cause.

Mercer County Human Services Director Marygrace Billek noted that a baseball game — the national pastime — is the perfect setting to address stigma. “People from throughout Mercer County and beyond are here,” she said. “People here tonight are from all walks of life. It is a great opportunity to get people talking about stigma, which is so important and can have an adverse effect on so many lives.

“Starting this conversation about stigma is the first step to eliminating it,” Ms. Billek said. Among the worst fallout of stigma is how it often discourages people with mental health problems or an addiction from acknowledging their problem and seeking the very treatment and services they need to address their behavioral health issues.

The county partnered with the Mercer chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for the Thunder game. The county and NAMI had side-by-side tables to greet arrivals to the game with educational materials and a pledge form that states, in part, “We stand with those impacted by mental illness and addiction.” Thirtyseven individuals signed the form by the time the last out was recorded, and each was given a T-shirt that had “Stigma Free Mercer” on the front and on the back read, “One person can change the way the world sees mental health.”

One person who is certainly contributing to that change is Max Rosenheck of Scotch Plains. A NAMI team member, Mr. Rosenheck opened the evening by throwing out the first pitch. He describes himself as a sports enthusiast and die-hard Yankee fan. Taking the mound to throw out the first pitch was “breathtaking,” he said. When he is not participating or following sports, Mr. Rosenheck works as a paralegal.

One of those who stopped to sign the anti-stigma pledge form was Elizabeth Santini. A middle school teacher in the Burlington School System, Ms. Santina said how important it is to address mental health and substance abuse issues for adolescents. “If a child has diabetes, we don’t hesitate to get them care. Mental health is exactly the same and responding to it urgently is as important to a person’s overall wellness.”

Over the course of the game, public service announcements were made that stressed integrating behavioral health care with physical health. One PSA mentioned co-occurrence of mental health and substance abuse and how proper care can restore a person to health.

Two thousand wristbands were handed out at the end of the game that are intended as conversation starters on the subject of stigma, the beginning of putting an end to it.

Mercer County is planning several events in the ongoing effort to promote awareness of the impact of stigma and the various ways we can support the stigma free campaign.

For more information about the county’s stigma free campaign or other treatment issues regarding the opiate crisis, contact Ann Dorocki at the Mercer County Office on Addiction Services, 609-989-6897 or adorocki@mercercounty.org. Daniel Meara is an alcoholism and addictions information specialist working to combat stigma and promote the understanding that addiction should be treated as a public health problem.