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The cold reality is that mental illness is persistently stigmatized and prevents those who suffer from it from getting the help they need to save lives. One in four Americans suffers from a mental illness, but they wait an average of 10 years for treatment, according to Mental Health America and other experts.
"This is alarming," said Angel Hohenstein, coordinator of the city of Duluth, in response to the "News Tribune Opinion" page of last year. "Those who suffer (wait so long before getting treatment) because they fear what others – colleagues, supervisors, etc. – might think of them and the impact that this could have on their performance at work.This is the stigma that needs to be addressed. "
That's why, last year, a local coalition was created in Duluth to get the mental health out of the closet of shame and bring it back to normal, its goal being that mental illness be considered same way as physical ailments. Ill is sick. Or should be in our minds.
The coalition is inspired by "Make it OK" (MakeItOK.org), a campaign developed in 2014 by the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) and HealthPartners, based in Bloomington, Minnesota.
This year, the coalition of more than 40 organizations invited other companies from northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin to participate. "Get involved in this important cause," Northland Healthy Minds said in a statement to the media, including on the News Tribune Opinion page.
The coalition is offering four free training sessions over the next two weeks so that interested employers can take meaningful action at the community level. The first session will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, March 27 from 11:30 to 12:30. in the Public Safety Building Training Room, 2030 N. Arlington Ave., Duluth. Other sessions are scheduled for April 3rd, 5th and 8th. Details on the registration procedure (number of participants limited to 40 participants per session) are posted on northlandhealthyminds.org/employers.
"We need to be able to discuss it and ask for help," said Shannon Jorgenson, an independent volunteer of the initiative, in a statement released in January 2018.
Unfortunately, this need persists more than a year later, but the good news is that Northland businesses are able to help stem stigma.
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