Mental Health Awareness Month 2020 is Here! And it is a Big One!

Parneeta Singh
May 9, 2020
4 min read

Mental Health Awareness Month is here! And this year it is definitely going to be one of the biggest and most thought-provoking ones yet.

A 27 year old Pakistani doctor died by suicide a few days ago. He was treating patients affected by the coronavirus in Pakistan and was worried about contracting the disease himself given that he and his colleagues were working without personal protective equipment (PPE) due to its shortage worldwide. It took a toll on his mental health and we lost a hero. Similarly in New York an ER doctor, Dr. Lorna Breen, died by suicide. She too was treating patients when she contracted it herself. She recovered from it and returned to continue the fight. Unfortunately, it affected her mental health as well. According to her father she had no history of mental health problems.

This brings up many important issues that have existed for years and still need appropriate and immediate attention:

1) Just because you are not 'diagnosed' with a mental health ailment does not mean you are immune to it. Just like the coronavirus that is affecting so many, mental health illnesses can affect anyone as well. This is true especially in the health care field where healthcare providers are not able to share their experiences in the fear of losing their jobs or being labeled. If anyone is more prone to getting a mental health illness it is the healthcare provider who is witnessing grief, death, loss, sorrow on a day to day basis. Research shows that the burn out and depression rate among healthcare providers was the highest this year, and this was even before the pandemic had begun. Now with the pandemic here more front-line workers are burning out, quitting their jobs and are just plain exhausted! Over 90,000 health workers have been infected by the virus worldwide!

2) The pandemic is definitely showing us that we are not only losing people directly to the virus, but also because of a toll that it is taking on our mental health. Depressed patients are becoming more depressed. Suicide rates have increased, while many others are contemplating it. Domestic abuse is on the rise. People are losing jobs. It all seems dystopic. This will inevitably take a toll on one's mental health. While experts say that 1 in 5 will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, this pandemic is showing us that it is affecting every one’s mental health. Mental health is of utmost importance. Its awareness and education must continue, and increase!

This brings me to an organization that I have been in contact with known as “Same Here: The Global Health Movement.” Their mission is: “To normalize society’s perception of mental health and make it part of our everyday conversation.” This month they are collaborating with people from all over the world by creating videos to show that not 1 in 5 but 5 in 5 are affected by mental health problems. Each individual sent a video of themselves showing the “Same Here” sign (🤙), wore something from a city they represent and said or did something creative. I chose Toronto and did a little Bhangra as a tribute to my Punjabi heritage. We then sent the “Same Here” sign onto the next person showing that you, we, they are not alone.

Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CK9icR77vk&feature=youtu.be

(My segment is from 0:45 to 0:57). They made a collage as well. Can you imagine how many people from all over the globe sent in their videos? Amazing right?

You can visit their page for more information on the great work they do: https://samehereglobal.org/

Apart from this there are many other resources that can help us during these times.

Mental Health America (MHA) has released their annual Mental Health Month toolkit which can be found here: mhanational.org/may. This year’s theme is “Tools 2 Thrive.” I believe that these tools will be more useful now than ever with COVID-19 and social distancing in place. The tools featured can help build resilience and boost our mental health and general wellness. Click on the ones you want to read more about:

Furthermore, MHA has started the #MillionInMay Initiative. They want at least a million people to screen their mental health during the month of May alone. They offer free, fast, and private mental health screens, and nearly 5 million people have used their online programs in the past to check on their mental health. Most of these people had never been diagnosed with a mental ailment before.

These individuals then use their results to start conversations with mental health professionals, family members, or friends. These free screening programs help reduce the duration of untreated mental illness by equipping people with the tools they need to get help. Get screened today at Mhascreening.org

So please use these tools and resources to take care of your mental health. It is in your hands.

Below are a few images with more resources from Mental Health America that you can use. You can reach out to them or whoever you think can help you: family, friends, a therapist, your doctor.

These messages from me are reminders that you are not alone.

Here is a short article showing how life during the pandemic is like living with a chronic illness. It really spoke to me. Give it a read:

https://themighty.com/2020/05/covid-19-and-chronic-illness-life-similar/

Please be kind to yourself, to one another and stay safe.