Making mental health a priority

Go online and take a mental health screening.

Reno, Nevada. May 29, 1015. Addressing mental health before Stage 4 is this year’s theme for Mental Health Month. The goal of Mental Health Month is to call attention to the importance of addressing mental health symptoms early, identifying potential underlying diseases, and planning an appropriate course of action. Stage 4 is the most severe level of mental illness, but people should be identified and treated long before an illness reaches that critical point.

“When feelings and emotions get overwhelming, it’s hard to know what to do,” said Sheila Leslie, Washoe County’s Behavioral Health Program Coordinator. “These early symptoms might not ever become serious. Like a cough, they go away on their own and are nothing to fear. However, sometimes they are a sign of something more severe and shouldn’t be ignored. Taking a screening is the first step to addressing mental illness before Stage 4.”

One of the quickest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition is to take a mental health screening. Mental Health America has online screening tools for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder at www.mhascreening.org.

Mental Health America has also developed a series of fact sheets to recognize the risk factors and signs of mental illness and how and where to get help.

For more information on May is Mental Health Month, or to take a screening, visit Mental Health America’s website at www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may.

# # #