In an environment where federal grants for mental health support to school communities are being canceled, Maplewood and South Orange’s public health officer highlighted some of the mental health challenges facing America’s youth at recent Board of Health meetings.
On May 6, Health Officer Candice Davenport thanked the Maplewood Township Committee for their proclamation that evening declaring May as Mental Health Awareness Month (see below) — and in particular thanked the township’s elected officials for including the 988 Mental Health Crisis phone number in the proclamation.
Davenport first discussed mental health challenges across all ages, noting that Maplewood’s Crisis Intervention Social Workers, led by Marthe Eustache, are seeing and responding to “a lot” of mental health cases: treating 31 local residents in April.
She then pivoted to data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness reporting that “72,000 New Jerseyans ages 12 to 17 have depression and that New Jerseyans struggle to get the help that they need. Unfortunately, New Jerseyans are over nine times more likely to be forced out of network to access mental health care and primary care.”
“We’re very concerned about our youth in Maplewood,” Davenport added. “I just want to highlight that top number of 61.4% of New Jerseyans ages 12 to 17 who have depression did not receive any care in the last year.”
Davenport made a similar presentation to the South Orange Board of Health in March.
“Because we also want to concentrate on the needless unintentional injuries from suicide, we want to acknowledge that on average, one person in the US dies every 11 minutes from suicide,” said Davenport. “And in New Jersey, 778 lives are lost to suicide, including 239,000 adults who have had thoughts of suicide in the last year.”
“So these are important stats for us to think about.”
She then urged residents to find more information on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website as well as the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website.
PROCLAMATION
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
WHEREAS, mental health is an essential part of overall health and well-being and affects one’s physical health, relationships, choices we make, and how we manage stress; and
WHEREAS, mental wellness leads to higher productivity, better educational outcomes, lower crime, stronger economies, lower healthcare costs, and improved quality of life; and
WHEREAS, one in five adults in the U.S. will experience a mental illness, and one in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year; adverse childhood experiences can impact an individual regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status; and
WHEREAS, a lack of mental health awareness, stigma and misinformation can have devastating impact on the wellbeing of individuals and society. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10-14 and 25-34; and
WHEREAS, Maplewood promotes 988, the national three-digit dialing code for anyone having thoughts of suicide and experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, adding it to the other life-saving hotlines also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 911, the dialing code for emergency first response, the Poison Control phone number (800) 222-1222, and the state social service dialing code 211; and
WHEREAS, Evidence based mental and behavioral health trainings equip individuals with the knowledge and awareness of recognizing common sign and symptoms and risk factors associated with mental health and substance use challenges; and
WHEREAS, Maplewood sees the importance and value of crisis intervention social workers in conjunction with law enforcement co-response; and
WHEREAS, Maplewood is committed to providing children and adults with mental illness access to a behavioral health support system;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Nancy Adams, Mayor of the Township of Maplewood, on behalf of the Maplewood Township Committee, do hereby proclaim May as Mental Health Awareness Month and encourage citizens to check-in with yourself. While we all advocate for community, volunteerism, and equality, there is only so much you can do if you don’t first help yourself. So please advocate for yourself. If you have the ability to see a therapist, take the opportunity and remember that your value is not based on your output. ______________________________ Maplewood Clerk ________________________________ Mayor of Maplewood
