How Connection Saves Lives and How Policymakers Need to Understand That

Over this past weekend, I participated in my first outreach event for Mental Health America at the NBC4 Telemundo 44 Health and Fitness Expo in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Martin Luther King said that people “fear each other because they do not know each other.  They do not know each other because they do not communicate with each other.”  Here is what I learned at the event: it is easy to communicate with people about mental health because the topic is accessible across culture, race and age. In addition, talking about mental health is especially important to those with mental illness. We had a spinning wheel at the event and children were particularly excited to spin the wheel, answer a question, and get a prize.  One little girl ran up to the wheel and I saw her dad looking on with concern, trying to read our large poster. I walked up to him and said “We are with Mental Health America, a national non-profit dedicated to mental health. We have materials on sleeping, eating right, exercising — ways to improve your mental health.” I could see his face instantly transform and relax into a smile. “Those are important,” he said as he looked through our materials and waited for his daughter. Over the course of the day, we had amazing diversity across race, culture and age in our booth. Everyone could relate to mental health. Some people wanted to talk about themselves. Others were more comfortable discussing family and friends. All of the participants were intere...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Communication Conferences General Mental Health America Mental Health and Wellness Policy and Advocacy Publishers connection Mental Health Advocacy Mental Health Policy Source Type: blogs