World Mental Health Day is on Oct. 10, marking its 29th year anniversary as an international holiday, proving the impact of global advocacy and awareness.
The World Federation for Mental Health created the World Mental Health Day program in 1992 which has since led stakeholders to contemplate their roles in awareness, being one of the “most important and far-reaching.”
Although the federation was founded in London in 1948, the engagement and commitment to advocacy has spread worldwide, furthering perceptual and educational understanding of mental illness.
Mental health issues can impact work, family and self.
In 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the considerable change in people’s day-to-day life because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#MentalHealth and psychosocial considerations during#COVID19 outbreak 👉https://t.co/brPm9JlAWH #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/LATkpQVaGh
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 14, 2020
The WHO recognizes COVID-19 as an ongoing issue across the world, highlighting groups that have been particularly affected. The campaign for the World Mental Health Day 2021 reports that “services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders have been significantly disrupted.”
However, there are resources available to those who are struggling.
World Mental Health Day 2021 was dedicated to showcasing efforts, supplying materials to help support campaigns, and tips on taking care of yourself and others. Resources are available that go beyond the pandemic and tackle daily pressing issues that weigh on one’s mental health.
Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board provides a wide variety of mental and behavioral health resources. Intervention resources range from addiction, advocacy, and general mental health.
One program, Advocacy Unlimited, Inc., offers recovery and advocacy solutions for those healing from mental health and addiction issues. The program follows ‘Recovery University,’ a state-sanctioned certification program that the majority of programs on the Advisory Board use.
Connecticut has resources for advancing psychological health and resilience through trauma research, education, and consultation. The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress offers COVID-19-specific response resources.
The center sponsors fact sheets and other resources to support the health and wellbeing of communities impacted by COVID-19. Resources dedicated to healthcare workers, families, and leaders are accompanied by training programs, infographics, presentations, and general media.
The organization offers diverse options to provide help to communities, offering information in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Mandarin.
Today we’re proud to release the largest survey of LGBTQ youth mental health ever conducted 🌟
— The Trevor Project (@TrevorProject) July 15, 2020
The more we know about the unique challenges LGBTQ youth face, the better we can all advocate for and support them 🌈
Read our full report 👇🏽👇🏿👇🏾https://t.co/978CRALz5h
The Trevor Project is an organization focused on suicide prevention in the LGBTQ community, and they uniquely offer a 24-hour support hotline where individuals can call or text (866) 488-7386 to talk with a counselor if they are feeling suicidal or lonely.
Out of 35,000 LGBTQ youth surveyed by The Trevor Project in their 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 42% considered suicide in the past year, 72% reported symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and 62% had symptoms of major depressive disorder.
In addition, 48% of LGBTQ youth desired mental health counseling, but couldn’t get it due to a lack of accessibility.
These statistics reveal the pressing and urgent need for accessible and effective resources geared toward the LGBTQ community.
On a local level, Hamden provides a variety of resources for the LGBTQ community and other groups.
The Anchor Health Initiative provides medical and emotional support to those in the LGBTQ community in Hamden on Whitney Avenue.
Their services cover primary healthcare, transgender medical services, sexually transmitted disease and sexually transmitted infection screenings, AIDS management, and cancer prevention resources.
The Case Management Program provides individuals with a variety of services, including needs such as basic such as clothing, housing, employment, healthcare, and transportation.
Additional services from the program range from connections with mental health counselors to assist in updating gender on identification documents, immigration status, and emergency financial assistance.
The Anchor Health Initiative currently welcomes telehealth visits and in-person appointments and can be contacted at (203) 903-8308.
The New Haven Pride Center is another local organization that offers weekly “safe spaces” for LGBTQ youth, teenagers, and adults.
The Pride Center has a list of resources from LGBTQ business directories, health organizations, hotlines, social organizations, and fellow pride organizations. For more information, contact (203) 387-2252.
Mental Health Connecticut is another initiative that supports the mental health of local students.
The Agents4Change program provides mental health support and resources for students, by students. Each year, the program seeks 10 Connecticut-based college students who are “passionate about making mental wellness a priority on their campus.”
The program uses the power of intervention and early prevention to increase resiliency and promote positive mental health.
Over the course of nine months, Agents4Change encourages outreach on college campuses through research, questions, and empathy, as well as identifying a need within the immediate environment through leadership and connections.
Sierra Wehn, a senior health science major at Quinnipiac University, said programs like Agents4Change are necessary.
“I’ve struggled with my mental health all throughout college,” Wehn said. “Knowing there are programs in place in Connecticut is empowering, maybe even necessary, for students who feel like they’re backed into a corner of deadlines and little-to-no breathers.”
The program can be contacted at (860) 529-1970.
Drug addiction is another pressing issue in Connecticut. The Connecticut Department of Public Health said in its Drug Overdose Report that 1,372 people overdosed in the state in 2020, showing a 14.3% increase compared to the prior year.
New Haven county was also reported as the county with the highest number of overdoses in Connecticut from 2019 to 2020.
Behavioral Health Services at Hamden, a branch of Yale Behavioral Health, is an outpatient mental health and substance abuse clinic that does not require health insurance.
Behavioral Health Services collaborates grants from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Town of Hamden to reach all residents regardless of their insurance status.
Psychiatric and medical evaluation, crisis intervention, individual or group treatment, and trauma-based care plans are some of the services Behavioral Health Services at Hamden provides.
Behavioral Health Services can be contacted at (203) 288-6253.
The Apt Foundation is also a highly-rated drug abuse treatment organization located in New Haven.
The foundation follows an “Open Access treatment model,” where “patients are evaluated without an appointment and offered same-day care regardless of ability to pay.”
Inpatient and outpatient programs are offered for substance abuse, but also mental health and primary care.
The Apt Foundation welcomes walk-ins on Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and can be reached at (203) 781-4600.
Homelessness is an increasingly common issue in Connecticut.
In 2020, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that 2,905 people experienced homeless in Connecticut on any given day. From 2018 to 2019, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 4,722 students in Connecticut experienced homelessness at some point during the year.
Liberty Community Services in New Haven provides programs that tackle eviction prevention, rapid-rehousing, supportive housing, and employment to over 1,000 people annually.
Liberty Community Services started off in New Haven in 1987 and was originally known as the “Connecticut AIDS Residence Program,” but they have since rebranded into an organization that covers a broader range of topics such as homelessness regardless of medical status, those living with HIV, mental health and substance abuse.
Liberty Community Services can be contacted at (203) 495-7600.
For more information about World Mental Health Day check out the World Health Organization’s past events and upcoming agenda.