Each year several people are faced with the reality of living with a mental illness. That is why the month of May is designed to encourage people to talk about a subject that often has a stigma attached to it, so those who need help can get help.
On NBC Local 33 News, Tracey Maxfield, an Author and nurse from Canada joined us to talk about her battle with mental illness and why it is so important for others to be open about mental illness.
“What I would like for people to know is that even though it is going to be a very dark place and painful journey that you are never alone. Do not believe for one minute because there are so many of us ot there and that if you want to and you are willing to do some work then there is hope,” said Maxfield.
Maxfield said often times people won’t say anything because they think they’re going to be judged. The Capital Area Human Services is a non-profit agency that serves the Baton Rouge Area and is helping people to find solutions.
Here are a few key facts from the National Alliance on Mental Illness:
- One in 5 adults in the U.S. lives with a mental health condition.
- One in 25 (10 million) adults in the U.S. lives with a serious mental illness
- 43.8 million adults in the U.S. face the day-to-day reality of living with a mental illness.
- Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24, but early intervention programs can help.