Trending
LOCK HAVEN -- It's Mental Health Awareness month in Clinton County.
The board of commissioners issued a proclamation regarding the national event during its recent voting session, and heard from Cathy Snyder, an executive board member of the National Alliance of Mental Illness of NorthCentral PA.
According to the proclamation, read by Commissioner Angela Harding, 50 percent of lifetime mental health disorders commonly begin at the age of 14 and 75 percent by the age of 24.
Other reported statistics included in the proclamation were:
-- In the United States, suicide is the second leading cause of death among ages 10 to 14 and the third leading cause of death among ages 15 to 24.
-- Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death overall in the United States.
-- 46 percent of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition.
-- Early warning signs of mental illness include thoughts, feelings or behavior that significantly impair day-to-day functioning such as feeling excessively sad or low.
-- Residents of rural communities face unique challenges when receiving and managing mental health care, including traveling two times as far to their nearest hospital or provider to receive treatment.
-- Rural residents are two times more likely to have limited access to broadband internet, limiting access to virtual care.
-- Rural residents are more likely to reside in a mental health professional shortage area.
Following unanimous approval of the proclamation, Snyder offered comment regarding the impact of mental health awareness.
Snyder said she isn't a mental health professional, but a person whose life has been impacted by mental health issues such as depression and eating disorder.
She explained that, 17 years ago, her daughter needed to be admitted into residential treatment for an eating disorder. This was how Snyder learned it was a "waste land" when it came to assistance involving insurance coverage and more.
"As a mom, I felt very alone and discouraged. It dawned on me how isolated (my daughter) must feel," she said.
Today, Snyder said her daughter has fully recovered and provides support to others through speaking engagements and more.
Meanwhile, Snyder herself plays an active role in NAMI and ensuring programs such as family support groups and more are made available to those in need.
"We've come a long way in the last 17 years. I'm proof that you don't have to be a mental health professional to provide care," she said.
According to Snyder, Mental Health Awareness month offers the chance for NAMI and other groups to bring a variety of services to the forefront.
Clinton County Government is taking steps to provide more information surrounding various aspects of mental health and programs that are available.
Through a Health Initiative for Rural PA grant through the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, the county is offering a Virtual Mental Health Speaker Series.
The series, which kicked off with a Stigma Reduction discussion by Alison Malmon in April, includes two speakers in May and runs until November.
The series will be streamed live on the county's Facebook page -- Clinton County Government, according to Harding. Recordings will then be uploaded to the county's website, www.clintoncountypa.gov.
The following speakers are scheduled to speak from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.:
-- Abraham Sculley will discuss depression on May 10.
-- Anthony Sartori will discuss workplace mental health on May 24.
-- Dr. Kristen Lee will talk about resilience on June 7.
-- David Romano will discuss men and mental health on July 26.
-- Frank Warren will talk suicide prevention on Aug. 16.
-- Donovan Hall will talk about self care and recovery on Sept. 20.
-- Dayna Altman will discuss youth mental health on Oct. 11.
-- Kevin Briggs will talk about veterans and first responder mental health on Nov. 8.
Harding also noted that a national suicide hotline -- 988 -- is available for those in need.