Content on this page adapted from Let's Talk About Mental Health, developed by the Erie County Office of Health Equity.
About 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience a mental illness. Let’s work together to improve mental health in our homes and communities.
People often don’t get the mental health help they need because they don’t know where to start. No matter how hopeless and alone you feel, there is always someone that is ready and willing to help you. Start by telling just one person you feel comfortable with and who you know will be a good listener. Learn how to ask for help at justtellone.org.
Warning Signs
If you or someone you know is experiencing these early warning signs, it is time to call for help.
- Excessive worrying or fear
- Excessive sadness
- Confused thinking
- Problems concentrating
- Extreme mood swings
- Prolonged anger or irritation
- Avoiding friends & social situations
- Overuse of alcohol or substances
Thinking or talking about suicide In crisis? Call (716) 834-3131 or dial 988.
Mental Health Treatment
Asking your provider about their understanding of your culture will help them understand what is important in your treatment. Here are 3 great questions to ask:
- Have you treated people like me or received training in cultural competence for mental health?
- How do you see our cultural backgrounds impacting communication and my treatment?
- What is your understanding of differences in health outcomes for patients like me?
Find more information on finding culturally competent care at nami.org.
Feeling Overwhelmed?
Over 40 million adults in the U.S. are experiencing anxiety disorder. When you are overwhelmed, call on your 5 senses to practice soothing anxiety. It may seem silly at first, but grounding, or steering your attention away, is an effective tool to combat your body's “fight or flight” response to stress.
- Breathe. Focus on exhaling two times as long as you inhale to decrease your heart rate.
- Look. Notice what is off in the distance and what is close. Name the details you see around you out loud.
- Listen. Pay close attention to the noises you hear around you (cars, machines, birds).
- Touch. Hold your hands & wrists under cold water. If you’re outside, touch the ground.
- Smell & Taste. Chew a piece of mint gum or smell something spicy. Concentrate on the tingling of the sensation.
Grief
When you are grieving a loss or have experienced a traumatic event, feeling shock and anger is normal. The healing process starts when you are ready to begin. Adopting a few new habits can help you find balance. The goal is not to get over it, but to get through it.
Coping with Trauma
You can’t pour from an empty cup. Taking care of yourself is an important way to begin healing and to be there for others.
Connect. Find a role model, mentor or group of people who understand what you experience. Making a connection can be a powerful part of coping. Peer interaction is a very effective way to work through your feelings.
Recognize. Acknowledge that your experiences and feelings are a normal reaction to trauma. There are no good or bad or right or wrong feelings. Denying or ignoring your painful feelings only delays your healing.
Name. When you’re able to name something that is hurting you, it loses its power to cause you fear and harm. Naming your experience and your feelings can be empowering.
Experience. Pay attention to what each emotion feels like in your mind and in your body. Give yourself permission to confront each feeling.
Express. Find constructive ways of working through tough emotions. You may find a different way of expressing each feeling you recognize. Taking action has cleansing effect and the intensity of your feelings will diminish.
Pause. Remind yourself that taking time to yourself can improve your health. Rest is a radical act of self-care.
Identify. Know your specific triggers and think about how to cope with them. Role-playing your reaction will help you with anxiety and supports processing trauma.
Contribute. Consider getting involved in community care and healing circles. This can provide a sense of control, boost confidence, and contribute to the healing in others. This can also help connect you to others who can validate and support your path to healing.
Community Support
Find togetherness and heal close to home. Communities can be the support system a person needs. Community care means supporting one another and the broader community. It has been around for generations. Community care can come from your neighborhood, your family, your faith-based practice, and beyond. You might receive community care in one of these forms:
- Peer-to-peer support
- Community Health Workers
- Community organized efforts
Community care is linked to community healing. As we work to heal each other, we can learn to heal ourselves. Community care can mean a lot of different things. Make a meal for a friend in need, help a child with their bike chain, chat with an elder, join in collective prayer, or stand up for someone who needs your support. These are all forms of community care. Each of us has a collection of practices that form part of our daily lives and connect us to other people. These forms of community care come from our ancestors and heritage. Practicing them contributes to collective healing.
- Prayer circles
- Spiritual healing practices
- Multigenerational living
- Kinship and familial bonds
- Storytelling
- Collective art
- Energy rituals
More information about community care at mhanational.org/bipoc-mental-health
Additional Resources
Erie County Department of Mental Health
Erie Path - a free app and web site with local and national mental health resources and information