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Bringing the mental health 'conversation' to Niagara County

Niagara Gazette - 4/5/2021

Apr. 5—During the past year, Niagara County Crisis Services has received 30% more calls for help from people struggling with anxiety, depression, isolation and substance abuse.

And it's very likely that those calls only scratch the surface of a much deeper problem, according to Laura Kelemen, director of the Niagara County Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services.

"Many are reluctant to seek help due to stigma," Kelemen said.

With that in mind, local mental health service providers scored a grant to expand the "Join the Conversation" multi-media campaign into Niagara County.

Join the Conversation was created by the Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition, whose membership includes the heads of Crisis Services, the Mental Health Association of Western New York and the Erie and Niagara county mental health departments.

According to coalition chair Karl Shallowhorn, Join the Conversation aims to assure people there's nothing to fear from talking about mental health.

"One thing we know is it can take up to 10 years to seek help if people are experiencing a mental condition. Much of that is due to stigma: the fear of letting someone know, because they don't want to be labeled as being 'crazy'," Shallowhorn said. "One of the biggest obstacles is really just what people think of mental illness. They equate it with being unstable or violent or unpredictable. It's based on people's behaviors and what they see.

"The reality though is that the vast majority of those living with a mental health condition are not violent, are not unstable or dangerous."

To that effect, Join the Conversation asks individuals to start talking about mental health and pledge to speak out against stigma and discrimination.

"The way you get people to change their perception and change their minds is through awareness," Shallowhorn said. "It's through teaching and de-bunking the myths and demystifying, and really addressing the beliefs that were there that may not be based in fact."

That's not always easy, Shallowhorn acknowledged. It's fine to start small, because every bit helps.

"One thing people say is, 'I want to be an advocate for mental health, how do I do that?' Well, anybody can be an advocate, and one way is to take the pledge, but to follow the steps that we ask you to do when taking the pledge," Shallowhorn said.

"A lot of people will use language every day that's stigmatizing. They don't even realize it. Like the word 'crazy.' How many people do you know who use the word 'crazy'? We're trying to address that, so just raise that awareness that even not using stigmatizing language is a step in the right direction."

More information on Join the Conversation can be found at www.letstalkstigma.org.

The campaign's expansion into Niagara County is assisted by a $45,000 grant from the state Office of Mental Health.

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(c)2021 the Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)

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