Mental Health Awareness Month

By Michael J. Lyons, D.O., Chief Medical Officer, Coastal Gateway Health Center

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month.  At any given time in the United States, 53 million people (1 in 4 adults) and 14 million children, will suffer from a mental illness.  More than 50% of the population will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder sometime in their lifetime.

What Constitutes Mental Health Disorders?

A mental health disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, and/or behavior.  This impairment is usually accompanied by distress and impairment of important areas of mental function.

What Types of Mental Disorders Are There?

There are multiple diagnoses that constitute a mental health disorder. These include but are not limited to Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Schizophrenia, Eating Disorders, Disruptive Behavior, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

• Anxiety Disorders are characterized by excessive fear and worry.
• In Depression, the person experiences feelings of sadness, irritability, and loss of pleasure for most days over a period greater than two weeks.
• People with Bipolar Depression experience alternating depressive episodes with episodes of manic symptoms.
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) usually occurs after a horrific event or series of events. PTSD is characterized by re-experiencing traumatic events, avoiding discussion and thoughts of the event, and heightened concern that a threat is real and active.
• Schizophrenia is characterized by a significant change in perception and behavior. Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and behavior.
• Eating Disorders include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which involve abnormal eating and preoccupation with food as well as prominent body weight and shape concerns.
• Disruptive Behavior and Dissocial Disorders are characterized by persistent behavior problems such as persistently defiant or disobedient to behaviors that persistently violate the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms, rules, or laws.
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders include disorders of intellectual development, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) amongst others.

What can I do?

If you or your loved ones have signs of any of these conditions, see your primary care provider.  Do not wait for a healthcare provider to ask about your mental health. Be proactive, these conditions can be life-threatening, and they are treatable.  Do not let the stigma or embarrassment of mental health disorders deter you from being the healthiest possible you.                           

Coastal Gateway Health Center can be reached by phone at 409.296.4444 or by email at [email protected].  For more information regarding our services and programs, please visit our website at www.coastalgatewayhc.org or find and follow us on Facebook.  We are proud to be #yourcommunityhealthcenter.