Klere yon limyè sou sante mantal nan mwa me
Aprann kijan pou pale franchman sou sante mantal ak rekiperasyon
Me se Mwa Konsyantizasyon Sante Mantal. Administrasyon Sèvis pou Abi Sibstans ak Sante Mantal , National Alliance on Mental Illness , ak anpil lòt òganizasyon gen anpil zouti gratis ki baze sou prèv pou edikasyon, tès depistaj ak enfòmasyon.
Men, ki sa ki sante mantal reyèlman?
Kòm yon moun ki gen yon istwa familyal nan, epi ki ap travay aktivman (e pafwa echwe) chak jou retabli de maladi mantal, mwen ka pale yon ti jan sou sa a nan eksperyans viv.
Sante mantal rive lè n ap viv moman nou yo lè n ap fè espre ak aktivman itilize sa Doktè Richard C. Schwartz rele kalite Cs ak Ps pwòp tèt nou an: konpasyon, kiryozite, klète, kreyativite, kalm, konfyans, kouraj, koneksyon, prezans, pasyans, pèspektiv, pèsistans, ak jwe.
Petèt ke tout sanble trè evidan, men li se tou trè difisil fè ak konsistans. Nou chak ap viv ak eksperyans akimile nan tan pase nou. Eksperyans sa yo akimile, oswa exposome, fòme nou - newoloji nou an, andokrinoloji nou an, sikoloji nou an, tout bagay nou yo - soti nan matris la nan kavo a.
Èt imen yo se machin ki fè sans. Antanke timoun, nou te fè sans nan bagay nou te ekspoze nan yon sèten fason. Apre yon tan, sensemaking sa a te vin modèl yo, oswa filtè, ak ki nou fè sans nan lavi nou kòm granmoun. Adilt yo ka egzèse kèk ajans pou chanje modèl sa yo epi retire filtè sa yo, pou grandi ak chanje, men vrèman sèlman nan limit ke nou vle rekonèt ke filtè yo egziste.
I know that some of you don’t want to hear this, but health care is intense. Other industries – tech and manufacturing come to mind – can be intense, too. But truly, health care is different by degrees. This is true for a few reasons, but in a very real sense, it can be boiled down to distress and awareness. Despite the climbing suicide rate, the need for trained clinicians, and the persistence of health care as one of the top industries for suicide incidence, medical education continues to avoid content and crucial conversations about mental health. Yet, we depend on these very professionals to treat those unexplored issues while also taking care of themselves.
We don’t expect health care professionals to treat – but not to know about – issues with the pulmonary system, so why do we do this with mental health?
From neurodivergence to mental illness and everything in between (often with huge overlaps), the health care industry still, in 2024, looks askance at non-physical atypicality and its manifestations. Mature, evidence-based conversations are not happening with enough frequency to address gaps in clinical knowledge, so as sense-making machines, educated and well-meaning people chalk it up to a will issue.
I have stress, and I’m not (insert mental health issue here). They just have to choose not to (insert behavior here).
But, in the same way that we would not expect someone with a broken leg to run down the hall, we ought not to expect someone with mental health challenges to choose to be well. There are no ADA-compliant ramps, no underarm crutches, and no amount of kinesiology tape that works for mental health. Furthermore, the things required for recovering mental health – a combination of community, compassion, understanding, time, therapeutic fit with the right professional, and sometimes medication – do not fit with the toughen-up nature of our industry’s history.
May being Mental Health Month gives us an opportunity to intentionally reflect on and respond to all of this. Join us for a safe and real conversation from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, in our Scranton Practice’s Room 405. We will begin to normalize mental health conversations and discuss how we can include and support the sense of belonging of each person.
Sincerely,
Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D.
Vis Prezidan Senior nan Enterprise Byennèt ak Rezilyans, Evalyasyon ak Avansman, ak Chèf Rechèch Estratejik ak Ofisye Devlopman
