Promote Mental Health in October
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A Rack of Mental Health! Set up a rack of materials that cover the breadth of psychological issues- stress and anger management, common mental health problems, and suicide prevention. Change the materials weekly. Consider a different focus each week. Place the resources and materials in high traffic and visibility areas- such as the cafeterias, fitness/gym, exits and entrances, phones, gathering areas.
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Invite the local family support agencies. Call on Pastors, Rabbis, Imams and or VA mental health professionals to give a talk on positive mental health, suicide prevention, managing stress, controlling anger or other relevant topics for your community. Solicit staff with a reputation of effective stress control skills to give a brief talk/testimonial on their personal and professional strategies.
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Establish and promote regular stress management time and space for October. This may be work out and fitness time, reflection time, or wellness breaks with sound or DVDs.
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Encourage everyone to have a “mental health tune up”! Promote use of web based programs and tip sheets like:
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After the Disaster: A Children’s Mental Health Checklist; http://www.fema.gov/kids/tch_mntl.htm checklist to assess a child’s mental health status, following a disaster or traumatic experience
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Suicide Warning Signs;
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/walletcard/engwalletcard.asp -
Choose among SAMHSA Model Programs for a Health Workplace, outlined at
http://www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov/pdfs/model/Healthy.pdf.
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Assemble a Stress Management/Mental Health Display! Supply brochures: Circle Breathing
http://www-nehc.med.navy.mil/downloads/hp/CircleBreathing.pdf
Stress: Cooping with Everyday Problems http://www1.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/41.cfm
Pacer Center’s Kids Against Bullying
http://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/?gclid=CMO8_LqRrY4CFSasGgodIiUhaA -
Learn more at:
- American Psychological Association - http://www.apa.org/
- Maternal and Child Health Library Knowledge Path: Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Children and Adolescents -http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_Mental_Healthy.html.
- Maternal and Child Health Library: Knowledge Path: Mental Problems and Disorders in Children and Adolescents - http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_Mental_Conditions.html.
- Medline Plus - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html
- National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
- National Mental Health Association - http://www.nmha.org/
- Navy Suicide Prevention Program - http://www.npc.navy.mil/CommandSupport/SuicidePrevention/
- Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Program - http://www.usmc-mccs.org/suicideprevent/
- Veterans Health Administration’s Mental Health Strategic Plan Initiatives for Suicide Prevention http://www.va.gov/oig/54/reports/VAOIG-06-03706-126.pdf
