May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in honor of this occasion, Health Heralds is going to be asking for donations that will benefit the Community Based Acute Treatment Program at the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton.
This is essentially a residential unit where children and young adults, just like you or I, who are struggling with mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder are admitted to help stabilize themselves and learn to cope with their issues, through medication, therapy, and group-building activities in a safe, nurturing environment. Donations of any amount are not only welcomed, but greatly appreciated.
Mental health is one of the most overlooked aspects of medical care these days, mostly because it is the most poorly understood. This, in turn, leads to a stigma surrounding mental health patients, as they are labeled as “damaged goods”. It is imperative to understand that the brain is a tangible organ, and as such issues like bipolar disorder and depression are actually chemical and biological issues just like cancer, AIDS, or any other disease. To this end, they can be alleviated in the same way as other diseases, but the problem is that so little is understood about the brain that the type of care for mental health patients is far behind that of any other type of medical care.
For those of you that are still skeptical, here are a few facts focused on depression:
-According to the World Health Organization, depression is projected to be the 2nd leading cause of disability in the world by the year 2020.
-At least 17% of the population in the US (roughly 60,000,000 people) will suffer from depression at some point in their lives.
-For unknown reasons, women are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression as men.
-Over 25% of those suffering from depression do not have access to quality care.
-In severe cases without treatment, depression can lead to suicide, which claims over 35,000 lives per year in the US. Even worse, it is estimated that for every one suicide fatality, there are 11 suicide attempts. That means over 385,000 people per year attempt to take their own lives.
To donate, contact Peter Nelson via his Facebook Page, Facebook Inbox, or email at pnelson@andover.edu
