May is Mental Health Awareness Month

One in five people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime and
everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health.
May is Mental Health Month. Let’s make it ok to talk about mental health!
Mental Health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being. Mental health conditions are real
and prevalent and with effective help and support individuals recover and lead full and productive lives.
The Suicide Prevention Council of Roanoke Valley (SPCRV) and Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare (BRBH)
want to share planned activities and ways people can get involved this month.
We are asking community members to take a “checkup from the neck up” by completing a mental
health screening through Mental Health America. Screening increases the chance of getting treatment.
Mental Health America has free, anonymous, and scientifically validated screenings through
https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/ Screenings can be great conversation starters with a
medical professional, trusted friend, or family member. The website includes available resources and
provides connections to treatment options. Once someone verifies they completed a screening, their
name goes into a drawing for a prize through SPCRV.
We also have several trainings available. Talk Saves Lives is a 1-hour Introduction to Suicide Prevention
and will be held virtually on 5/11/22 at 7pm. SafeTALK is a 3.5 hour training that teaches participants to
be suicide alert. It will be held in person on 5/24/22 at 1pm at the Blue Ridge Library. To register for
either training, follow this link: https://forms.gle/XZL9b4VnTKWb1qyF6. Information and resources will
also be shared throughout the month on @SCPRV Facebook and Instagram pages.
Chief executive officer of Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, Debbie Coughlan, LCSW, notes that, “Just as
we may need help with a physical ailment sometimes, there may be times in our life where it can be
helpful to seek treatment for mental health or substance use difficulties. It is in our human nature to
struggle from time to time with feelings of depression, anxiety, or other difficult emotions. When these
feelings become long-lasting or start to cause difficulty in our day-to-day life, in our work or school
functioning, or our relationships with loved ones and friends, it may be a good time to take advantage of
the free screening mentioned above or to seek help. If mental health issues are troubling you, please do
not suffer in silence. Prevention works and treatment is effective. If you or a loved one are
experiencing a mental health crisis, please do not hesitate to reach out to our 24-hour Crisis Services at
540-981-9351 or call 911. ”
We can all help raise awareness and understanding of mental health. #MentalHealthMatters
If you are a journalist and developing a story about suicide check out the guidelines for reporting:
http://reportingonsuicide.org/recommendations/
Contact: Sheila Lythgoe, MS
Suicide Prevention Council of Roanoke Valley
Phone: (540) 982-1427 ext. 5117
Email to: slythgoe@brbh.org (preferred method)