Mental Health

Southwestern Public Health does not provide mental health counseling or treatment. This webpage is only for information. If you are having a crisis or know someone who is having a crisis, please call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department. You can also contact Reach Out by calling 1-866-933-2023. Reach Out is a bilingual 24/7 information, support, and crisis service for people with mental health or addiction needs.

Mental health promotion meeting

Mental Health is a state of well-being when a person knows their abilities, can cope with the normal stress of life, can work well, and can add value to the community. Mental health is as important as physical health.

You should care for your mental health the same way you care for your physical health. There is no health without mental health.

To learn more about mental health and well-being, please click on the links below.

Protective Factors for Mental Health

The protective factors for mental health make you less likely to have a mental illness. These protective factors include:

Happy strong relationships starting from childhood.
Healthy coping skills for stress.
Healthy lifestyle of exercising, eating healthy foods, and getting enough rest.
Having a steady job.

Risk Factors for Mental Health

The risk factors for mental health make you more likely to have a mental illness. These risk factors include:

Difficult living situations in childhood.
Family member living with a mental illness or substance use.
Unhealthy family relationships and/or no relationships with peers.
Unhealthy coping skills such as substance use.
Low income.

Mental Health Promotion

Mental Health Promotion is the work that happens to ensure you have the right information and help available for you to take control of your life and make your mental health better. Mental Health promotion is important in all parts of life and should be available for you where you live, learn, work and play.

Mental Health Promotion at Southwestern Public Health

When people think about mental health, they think about mental illness. Doctors, nurses, and mental health workers treat mental illness.

At Southwestern Public Health, we do not provide treatment for mental illness, but we provide mental health promotion. Our mental health promotion aims to improve overall mental health and well-being in the communities we serve.

This means we work to encourage community members to have the right tools and support for good mental health. When they have these tools, they can take control of their lives and make their mental health better.

What can we do to promote Mental Health?

Mental Health Promotion helps build our coping skills and feelings of social belonging and guides us to know where to go for mental health needs. We know more about mental health and mental illness with mental health promotion. When we know more about mental health and mental illness, we will not treat people with a mental illness any different from how we would treat others.

Below are mental health promotion plans which can work for all ages.

Healthy parenting which helps children create good relationships.
Improving coping skills and social belonging.
Teaching more about mental health and mental illness.
Making sure people know where to go for mental health needs.
Collecting details about mental health in our community to make plans to address identified needs.
Reducing the stigma around mental illness.
Making sure all people can get the same help for their different mental health needs.

Mental Health and Mental Illness

Mental illness is when a person’s thinking, mood, and behavior make it hard for them to live everyday life.

If you have a mental illness, you can enjoy good mental health with the right care. You may not have a mental illness, but you can have mental health needs.

Good mental health is key to a happy, healthy life for everyone.

Do a Mental Health check today using this Mental Health Self-Check tool

Learn more about mental health and mental illness by looking at this poster.

Mental Health and Stigma

Stigma is when we think negatively about people because they have a mental illness. When we think this way about people with a mental illness, it can cause us to treat them differently from others who do not have a mental illness.

The stigma of mental illness can make people feel shame and hopelessness. They often blame themselves for their mental illness. Stigma makes it hard for people living with a mental illness to reach out for help.

There is help for you if you have a mental illness. You are not alone. The earlier you get help, the better you will start to feel. Do not let stigma stop you from getting the help you need.

What can we do about Mental Health Stigma?

We can take these steps to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

Think about how you feel about people living with mental illness.
Learn and teach others close to you about mental illness. This can include learning about substance use because it is closely related to mental illness.
Be careful of the words you use when you are talking about mental illness.
Think of the good things about people living with a mental illness. They are more than their illness.
Make sure you include people living with a mental illness and make them feel like they belong to the community.
Show respect and make people living with a mental illness feel safe enough to live their best life.
Become a Mental Health Champion. Share your mental health journey and give hope to people living with a mental illness.

Myths about Mental Health

Everyone either knows someone living with a mental illness or needs help getting better mental health. Mental illness is common in our communities. However, there are widely held, wrong ideas or myths about people living with a mental illness.

To learn more about these myths, the real facts about mental illness, and what you can do to stop wrong ideas about people living with a mental illness, check out Myths about Mental Illness.

Simple Steps for Better Mental Health

Improve your mental health by following these simple steps:

Talk about your mental health. As you do this, you feel better, and you make others feel safe to talk about their mental health.
Improve your physical health by exercising and eating healthy foods.
Make sure you get enough sleep. For adults, this is between 7 and 9 hours each night.
Take the time to know yourself better. When you do this, it improves your relationships with others.
Work on building good, healthy relationships.
Find new hobbies and skills which interest you. This gives you a break from your normal daily activities and is good for your mental health.
Learn more about mental health and mental illness. To stay on top of the services available in our communities please visit the health line.
Do not be afraid or ashamed to ask for help when you need it. This is the best step you can take for better mental health.

Mental Health and COVID-19

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a high mental health burden in our communities. This burden significantly increased because of the pandemic.

With the majority of the population vaccinated, it is easier to move around without the fear of getting sick. Life is slowly going back to normal.

The return to normal life can be difficult. Below are links for coping tools to make it easier as we find our way back.