Page 64 - BusinessWest Macrh 6, 2023
P. 64

• Talking about wanting to die, great guilt or shame, or being a burden to others;
• Feeling empty, hopeless, trapped, extremely sad or anxious, or unbear- able emotional or physical pain;
• Changed behavior, such as making a plan or researching ways to die, tak- ing dangerous risks (including driving fast or recklessly), displaying extreme mood swings, or eating or sleeping more or less; and
• Saying goodbye or giving away important things.
One symptom that can be over- looked is anger and agitation, a state often not associated with depression.
“Most people don’t really express depression or being sad in a typical way, like isolating or not talking to any- body or withdrawing themselves,” said René Piñero, vice president of Behav- ioral Health and Clinical Operations
at the Mental Health Assoc. (MHA). “But a lot of times, if you see somebody who is more irritated or gets angry more easily than usual, then those are typically signs that somebody might be going through something and they just haven’t talked about it with somebody.”
Mental health and suicidal ideation often causes a person to feel some sort of guilt or shame, and they repress the feelings, causing them to isolate from friends and family even more.
The stigma is especially high among men and the elderly. Males make up 49% of the population, but nearly 80%
“A lot of times, if you see somebody who is more irritated or gets angry more easily than usual, then those are typically signs that somebody might be going through something and they just haven’t talked about it with somebody.”
Health Centers offer immediate care for mental-health and substance-use needs, both in crisis situations and more routine settings. Crisis services are available around the clock for any- one in Massachusetts experiencing a potential mental-health emergency and are entirely insurance-blind, meaning anyone can access services, regardless of insurance coverage.
If therapy, medications, and tradi- tional services aren’t working, people have the chance to participate in outpa- tient and inpatient treatment programs.
Outpatient programs are structured, non-residential, psychological day pro- grams that address mental-health disor- ders and substance-use disorders that do not require detoxification through
a combination of group-based psycho- therapy, individual psychotherapy, fam- ily counseling, educational groups, and strategies for encouraging motivation and engagement in treatment.
MHA, BHN, and MiraVista all offer outpatient treatment programs; BHN and MiraVista specialize in adolescent mental-health programs as well.
“It is very important from a young age to speak about feelings and how we cope with them. Giving people differ- ent tools to be able to cope with those feelings is important,” Rivera explained. “There is such a need in this area, and that’s one of the reasons why we want-
  RENÉ PIÑERO
of suicides, and people over age 85 have the highest rates of suicide among all age categories (20.86 per 100,000 individuals).
Mental health for older generations has been seen as taboo and a topic that shouldn’t be discussed; it is often looked down upon negatively. And dis- playing emotions of sadness or asking for help is often seen as a weakness amongst men.
But in order to combat the mental- health epidemic that was worsened by the pandemic, a more positive light needs to be shined on the importance of getting help and treatment when necessary. And that starts with a conversation.
It’s OK to Ask for Help
The first step to destigmatizing suicide and suicidal ideation is to talk about it.
“Often you’ll hear people say, ‘I have
asthma,’ or ‘I have diabetes.’ And it’s not anything that people would think twice about sharing,” Rivera said. “But some- one struggling with severe depression or anxiety or maybe bipolar schizophre- nia, those are things that are a little bit more difficult to speak about. The more people normalize and talk about their diagnosis, the more welcoming as a community we will become.”
One positive from the pandemic was the rise of telehealth communication, allowing people to talk to a licensed therapist or behavioral-health special- ist over video-chat platforms. It allowed them to connect from the comfort of their homes, making it easier to talk about what they’re going through.
Another option is the Behavioral Health Help Line created this year through the state Department of Mental Health and operated by the Massachu- setts Behavioral Health Partnership. Meanwhile, Community Behavioral
Suicide
Continued on page 66
>>
   We’re Here for You.
Care when and how you need it.
At home, in your community, at our clinic, and/or via telehealth.
Serving children, youth, adults, and families dealing with mental health and substance use challenges.
413-301-WELL (9355)
24-Hour Crisis Line: 413-733-6661 Visit bhninc.org for more information
417 Liberty St. Springfield, MA | 77 Mill St. Westfield, MA
 WEEKDAYS on WHMP News, Information, and the Arts for the Pioneer Valley
TALK THE TALK Introducing
With Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg
Live in studio from 9 AM to 11 AM Rebroadcasting from 4 PM to 6 PM
The Valley this Morning with JessTyler 7AM-9AM
The Thom Hartmann Program 12 pm-3 pm
     The David Pakman Show 3-4pm
The Stephanie Miller Show
11 am -12 pm
6-9pm: Merkley, Van Camp and Robbins 9pm-12am: The John Batchelor Show
Stream at WHMP.com
  64 MARCH 6, 2023
<< HEALTHCARE >>
BusinessWest

















































   62   63   64   65   66