LEE HIGGINBOTHAM
CEO, Mission Hospital McDowell
It's a well-known fact now that our overall health is impacted as much by our mental health as well as our physical health.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and focusing on the ways that we can support the mental health of children, teens and adults is vitally important. Since our mental and physical health are closely intertwined, it makes sense to care for ourselves completely, and that means seeking treatment if a mental health issue is disrupting our lives, just like we would see our doctor if we needed treatment for a virus.
Our mental state influences how we feel and behave. In turn, family dynamics, work performance and relationships, how we sleep, how we eat, our energy levels, and many other aspects of our lives are affected by how we feel.
Living with a mental health disorder can make a person feel like they're different from others, but these conditions don't discriminate. They affect men and women of all ages, races, and socioeconomic levels. In fact, one out of five American teens and adults is living with a behavioral health disorder.
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It's not an exaggeration to say that our community has faced one of the most challenging -- if not the most serious -- natural disasters our region has ever seen, and the impact on our neighbors has been immense. That, coupled with coming off the heels of a multiyear, worldwide pandemic, made for uniquely trying times. For our community members living with one or more diagnosed mental health conditions -- some of the most frequently diagnosed are anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and substance use disorder -- Hurricane Helene could have intensified their symptoms. Additionally, those who didn't live with a mental health condition prior to the storm could be dealing with one now.
The critical thing to understand if you're struggling with your mental health is that help is available. It's pivotal, though, not to feel any shame about reaching out and asking for help. Unfortunately, a long-entrenched stigma stubbornly persists around seeking care for depression, anxiety and other conditions -- that unless we "bootstrap it" and try to deal with our problems ourselves, we're somehow weak.
On the contrary, seeking help by accessing behavioral health treatments like counseling and medication can help you build your resilience and equip yourself with a toolbox of strategies you can use to address your emotional health challenges.
Help is out there when people are experiencing major life transitions like becoming a parent or losing a loved one. Assistance is also available if a person is experiencing a serious mental health crisis, such as thoughts of selfharm or suicide. I urge anyone in crisis to call 800-849-6127 -- this is the number for Vaya Health, and they can connect you to a crisis center or send mobile crisis services that come to you.
Like other medical specialties, our country has a shortage of mental health providers, but there are multiple professionals who can provide care, including social workers, therapists, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists. Mission Health offers outpatient care, telemedicine and psychiatric care, pediatric care, outpatient care, a partial hospitalization program, and a program specifically designed for older adults. These services can all be accessed through a referral from any healthcare professional, and self-referrals are accepted frequently as well.
Our 120-bed Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center in Asheville provides inpatient and outpatient services, including psychotherapy, music therapy, patient and family education, group therapy, medication therapy and more. The facility is also equipped with amenities such as a gymnasium and a horticulture area.
I encourage any community member who is struggling with a mental health issue not to suffer in silence, but to seek help. Our own surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has declared chronic loneliness a public health crisis, so rather than isolating, reach out to get assistance and foster connection -- this is how we build true strength and resilience.
As I end this column, I want to praise our incredible team at Mission Hospital McDowell and our dedicated nurses as we recognize them during National Hospital Week (May 11-17) and National Nurses Week (May 6-12). It is an absolute honor to care for our patients and their families.
Lee Higginbotham is chief executive officer of Mission Hospital Mcdowell in Marion.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and focusing on the ways that we can support the mental health of children, teens and adults is vitally important. Since our mental and physical health are closely intertwined, it makes sense to care for ourselves completely, and that means seeking treatment if a mental health issue is disrupting our lives, just like we would see our doctor if we needed treatment for a virus.
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