Jefferson County recognizes May as Mental Health Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Together, let’s end mental illness stigma and support those who are seeking treatment. It’s OK to have a mental illness — many people do. #makeitokIOWA is a community campaign to reduce stigma by increasing understanding about mental illness.

The “OK” in its title refers to it being OK to talk about mental illness. By starting conversations about mental health, we can fight mental health stigma in Iowa. It’s OK to talk about mental illness — talking makes people feel less alone.

Stigma refers to phrases to avoid that are critical of mental illness. These include “It could be worse”; “Just deal with it”; “You’ve got to pull yourself together”; or “You’ll get over it.”

Think about using those types of phrases in describing a loved one with cancer or heart disease. Probably, we would avoid saying them. Similarly, we can avoid saying them in regard to mental illness.

Instead, we can practice saying supportive phrases: “Thanks for opening up to me”; “How can I help?; “I can’t imagine what you’re going through”; or more simply, “How are you feeling today?”

John Miller, coordinator for the Jefferson County RSVP volunteer program, and Peggy Fisher, Director for the 3-county RSVP volunteer program, are trained presenters for MakeItOK and are available to deliver brief (20- or 30-minute) talks about how to help support those with mental health issues in our local areas.

If a church, fraternal organization, or nonprofit is interested in this free service, they may be reached at (641) 919-4242 or email: j.miller@wapellocouw.org (for John) and 641-682-1264 or email: p.fisher@wapellocouw.org (for Peggy).