Angela Guzenski

The Mental Health Association in Indian River County (MHA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing immediate access with no barriers to mental health care. We are an affiliate of Mental Health America, and together, we work for prevention; for early identification and intervention for those at risk, and for recovery as a goal. Mental health concerns shouldn’t be handled any differently than physical health concerns. When someone exhibits symptoms related to cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, we don’t wait years to carefully diagnose and treat the symptoms. We start well before Stage 4 ­­­cancer or chronic heart disease- we begin with prevention. We take steps to address the symptoms and prevent a worsening of the condition. So why don’t we do the same for individuals who are dealing with symptoms that can develop into a serious mental illness? When someone complains of feeling sad, being low in energy, and losing their self-confidence, why is it often handled as a phase someone is going through to be ignored until it gets worse? We can’t wait until someone experiences depressed mood day in and day out, has difficulty getting out of bed, and has thoughts of self-harm. We recognize that many times people may not realize that their symptoms are being caused by a mental health condition, or they may feel ashamed to seek help because of the stigma associated with mental illness. Consequently, there is a delay in seeking help, and getting on the path to recovery.