CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Mental health used to be a somewhat taboo topic but the last couple of years has changed that. Mental health awareness has skyrocketed during the pandemic. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and experts are dedicated to making sure we are all in a good place mentally.
Andrea Kovarik with the Nueces Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities (NCMHID) joined First Edition, saying "mental health is really a huge issue right now and the more attention we can give to the topic will make more people comfortable talking about it and seeking the necessary help."
Kovarik shared some quick stats as to why discussing this matter today is vital to saving a life:
Prevalence among Americans:
- Almost half of all adults will experience a mental illness during the course of their lifetime.
- On average, 130 people die by suicide every day.
- 1 in 5 adults experience a mental health disorder in a single year.
- Nearly 1 IN 5 in the U.S. lives with a mental illness.
- From 1999 to 2019, 841,000 people died from drug overdoses.
- More than 20 million Americans ages 12 and older will face an addiction.
- Less than half (44%) of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2019
Impacts on our youth:
- Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for youth age 15-19. Source: National Center for Health Statistics.
- 50% of all mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 75% by the mid-20s.
- 49.5% of adolescents ages 13-18 live with a mental disorder. More than 1 in 5 (22.2%) of them experience a severe impairment.
10.2% of youth will be diagnosed with a substance use disorder in their life time.
There is a free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course being offered at MHID Youth Service Building, 3733 Port Ave on May 6th from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month.
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