A Proclamation on National Mental Health Awareness Month
Each May, we raise awareness about the importance of mental health and its impact on the well-being of all Americans, including children, adults, families, and communities across our Nation. We also give thanks to the dedicated mental health providers whose service and support improve the lives of so many Americans. We stand in solidarity with those who are experiencing mental health conditions, renewing our commitment to providing them with the support they need and deserve.
Even before the pandemic, millions of Americans were experiencing stress, trauma, anxiety, and heightened levels of depression. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those conditions, creating an unprecedented mental health crisis across our country. Communities of color, frontline workers, health care workers, and individuals with eating disorders have been disproportionately impacted, and the rate of depression across the country has more than tripled compared to rates in 2019.
Mental health challenges among our youth have also been particularly acute due to disruptions in routines, increased social isolation, and learning loss. Research has shown that social media plays a central role in increasing mental health challenges among young people — especially young women. Emergency department visits for attempted suicide among girls in 2021 increased by more than 50 percent compared to 2020. American Indians, Alaska Natives, Black youth, and LGBTQI+ youth also face a disproportionate risk of suicide.
Despite these disturbing trends, less than half of Americans struggling with mental illness receive the treatment they need — even fewer within Black and Brown communities. A variety of factors contribute to this problem. For example, too many communities lack sufficient numbers of mental health providers. Even where there are enough mental health providers, our fragmentated system makes it difficult for people to access them. Tragically, too, many Americans feel ashamed to reach out for help, or are stigmatized for seeking care.
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To read the full text, go HERE.
Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
On May 3, 2023, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General Advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. Disconnection fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health. In fact, loneliness and isolation increase the risk for individuals to develop mental health challenges in their lives, and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily.
The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation lays out a framework for a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection, which has never been implemented before in the United States. It details recommendations that individuals, governments, workplaces, health systems, and community organizations can take to increase connection in their lives, communities, and across the country and improve their health.
“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connection the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.”
The physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. Additionally, lacking social connection increases risk of premature death by more than 60%.
In addition to our physical health, loneliness and isolation contribute substantially to mental health challenges. In adults, the risk of developing depression among people who report feeling lonely often is more than double that of people who rarely or never feel lonely. Loneliness and social isolation in childhood increase the risk of depression and anxiety both immediately and well into the future. And with more than one in five adults and more than one in three young adults living with a mental illness in the U.S., addressing loneliness and isolation is critical in order to fully address the mental health crisis in America.
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You can read the full Advisory here. For more information about the Office of the Surgeon General, please visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/priorities.
Learn more about the RCOE Mental Health Initiative HERE.
Community Resources
The resource guide is a compilation of community agencies and referral sources. It is intended to act as a desktop reference or as a source of services for students and their families. While great efforts have been made to ensure that this document is accurate, telephone numbers and addresses are subject to change without notice.
Please keep in mind that this guide is a compilation of sources. Riverside County Office of Education does not endorse or recommend any particular agency or source, or any source or agency at all; this is merely a listing of some available resources. Hopefully, this guide will assist you in meeting the needs of the families we serve.
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.
In partnership with the Riverside University Health System (RUHS), RCOE has trained and provided resources to Riverside County school districts on the history behind the bill that enacted the suicide and crisis lifeline, as well as what kinds of support are available.
Riverside County Directing Change Film Contest
Directing Change is part of Take Action for Mental Health, California’s Mental Health Movement and statewide efforts to prevent suicide, reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness, and to promote the mental health and wellness of youth and young adults.
During the 2022-23 school year, a total of 586 young people between the ages of 13-25 from 24 schools in Riverside County submitted 212 films about mental health and suicide prevention. Film submission categories included:
- Hope & Justice
- Mental Health Matters
- A Walk in our Shoes (middle school only)
- Through the Lens of Culture
- Seeds of Change
Because of participating in the program, these students are now prepared to recognize and respond to signs of distress in themselves and their peers.
Student filmmakers and their advisors were honored on May 4, 2023 at the Fox Theater in Downtown Riverside for creatively addressing mental health topics in the statewide Directing Change Program and Film Contest.
HOPE & JUSTICE
Winning Film: “Forgotten Sorrows”
This category includes thematic content and references to sexual abuse.
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
Winning Film: “I Hate”
A WALK IN OUR SHOES
Winning Film: “Clarity”
THROUGH THE LENS OF CULTURE
Winning Film: “Opening Up”
SUICIDE PREVENTION
Winning Film: “Seeds of Change”
MONTHLY CONTEST HIGHLIGHT REEL
Directing Change Monthly Activities
May is Mental Health Matters Month and a great time for young people to Take Action for Mental Health! This Activity Guide provides ideas for youth-led mental health events and activities. Whether you are a youth, educator, or a parent, take some time for journaling, coloring, and deep breathing activities from the Mental Health Thrival Kit. More activities and resources can be found in the Take Action for Mental Health Toolkit.
Complete a Mental Health Spirit Day Activity by Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 11 and win a pizza party! Young people up to age 25, schools and organizations are eligible to participate. For more information visit: www.directingchange.org/events.
Submit to the Hope and Justice art and film contest. The prompt for May is: “Take Action for Mental Health.” Paint, write, or sing about changes you hope to see in yourself or in your community when it comes to mental health and acceptance of young people who are experiencing a mental health challenge. The lime green ribbon is a symbol of mental health and should be incorporated in your submission in a creative way! For more information visit: www.directingchange.org/events.
Riverside University Health System (RUHS)
Check out the latest PEI newsletter HERE.
Mental Health Awareness Fairs
- May 3 in Palm Desert
- May 11 in Menifee
- May 18 in Riverside
Check out all event flyers (English & Spanish) HERE.
The SPC offers a variety of trainings, including:
- Mental Health 101
- Building Resiliency and Understanding Trauma
- Self Care and Wellness
- Know the Signs
- Youth Mental Health First Aid
- Mental Health First Aid
- ASIST
- safeTALK
- Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR)
It's Up to Us (RivCo)
The It’s Up to Us campaign is designed to empower residents of Riverside County to talk openly about mental illness, recognize symptoms, utilize local resources and seek help. By raising awareness and providing access to local resources, we aim to inspire wellness, reduce stigma and prevent suicide. Recovery is possible and help is available. It’s Up to Us to make a difference in the lives of those experiencing mental health challenges by offering support and providing opportunities.
This campaign is developed through the Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health, and funded by the Mental Health Services Act.
Inland SoCal Crisis Helpline
The Inland SoCal Crisis Helpline is the regional 24/7 crisis and suicide hotline for Inland Southern California. It is free and confidential and you may remain anonymous. Trained counselors are available to provide support and resources to best help you. Bilingual counselors are available.
The Inland SoCal Crisis Helpline was founded in 1968 and is a project of Inland SoCal 211+ and Inland SoCal United Way making it one of the longest running suicide hotlines in the state of California.
The line is answered by staff, volunteers and interns who serve as crisis counselors after a 50 hour evidence-based training.
Take Action for Mental Health (CA)
As part of California’s ongoing mental health movement, the Take Action for Mental Health campaign is designed to help you check in, learn more, and get support for your own mental health or the mental health of someone you care about.
Take Action for Mental Health is an evolution of the Each Mind Matters campaign. Over the last decade, Each Mind Matters has had a positive impact on reducing stigma of mental illness and increasing awareness of mental health needs and resources. Take Action for Mental Health builds on this progress and asks Californians to take action to support ourselves and the people we care about.
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the CDPH Injury and Violence Prevention Branch’s Office of Suicide Prevention has developed a social media calendar that includes a list of social media posts and sharables that encourage positive mental health practices, provide resources for those experiencing mental health challenges, warning signs for suicide, and how to provide help to others.
The social media shareables are currently available HERE. Please feel free to utilize and share these resources widely with others in your community.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Preventing ACEs can help children and adults thrive and potentially:
- Lower risk for conditions like depression, asthma, cancer, and diabetes in adulthood.
- Reduce risky behaviors like smoking, and heavy drinking.
- Improve education and job potential.
- Stop ACEs from being passed from one generation to the next.
Read more here: https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aces/pdf/vs-1105-aces-H.pdf
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to let everyone know that mental illnesses can affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. They are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing and cannot be overcome through willpower. But they are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.
Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering. Untreated mental health conditions can result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide, and poor quality of life. The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than 100 billion dollars each year in the United States.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, please join with Team NAMI California to share our message of hope, empathy and solutions to #EndTheStigma.
Learn more about mental health conditions HERE.
Addressing Mental Health in Schools
Education and mental health leaders understand the need to establish one system of social-emotional and behavioral supports in schools. The Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) is a way to blend PBIS with mental health supports in schools. This framework guides state, district, and community leaders to fund and modify policies and procedures to help every system work more efficiently. Clinicians – supported by integrated district structures – become part of multi-tiered school teams to address the social-emotional and behavior needs of all students. ISF expands the PBIS framework as a way to assist teams and enhance their efforts.
Leadership, Wellness, and Student Services Division
Kathy King, Director II
Theresa Stevens, PBIS Coordinator
Denise Granger, PBIS Coordinator
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For more information, please contact:
Michele Shaw-Williams, Administrator's Secretary