BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS WEIGH IN ABOUT
MENTAL HEALTHBY TIA CAROL JONESMay was Mental Health Awareness Month. Dr. Wilnise Jasmin, Medical Director of Behavioral Health at the Chicago Department of Public Health, and Dr. Marilyn Griffin, Behavioral Health Medical Director at Aetna Better Health of Illinois, shared insights on mental health and resources available to people.Dr. Griffin believes people can prioritize their mental health by eating healthy. It can include eating and nonfried foods. Exercise also can help with mental health, as it increases endorphins, elevate a person’s mood and helps relieve stress. Griffin recommends 15-30 minutes of walking, inside your home or around your neighborhood.
“Your mental health is just as important as your physical health,” Dr. Griffin said. She feels that Mental Health Awareness Month is important because it can reduce the stigma of seeking treatment for mental health issues and can promote mental health and well-being.
When it comes to ways people can prioritize their mental health, Dr. Jasmin suggested people take a step back and look at their daily routines. She focused on rest and creating a sleep ritual that can include taking a warm shower or bath before going to bed, not looking at bright lights an hour before bed, not watching television an hour before going to sleep, reading a relaxing book, avoiding caffeine four to six hours before going to sleep,
stretching and only using the bed for sleep.
Dr. Jasmin said the pandemic affected people because people lost loved ones and experienced grief and they had to change their daily routines. People, adults and adolescents, experienced depressive symptoms. People also reported an increase in tension and stress during the pandemic.
Dr. Jasmin saw an increase in anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse and deaths caused by opioid-related overdoses as a result of the pandemic. Change in sleeping patterns, an irregular appetite, inability to fulfill everyday responsibilities – going to work, school or taking care of loved ones are some signs that someone might be having a mental health emergency. Dr. Jasmin added, people having a euphoric
feeling or feeling happier than usual, might also be a sign of someone having a mental health emergency.
For someone who might see signs that someone in their life is experiencing a mental health emergency and wants to seek help, they can call 988, which is an anonymous mental health support provider. They also can visit mentalhealth. chicago.gov. By typing in their address, people can be directed to mental health services in their neighborhood.
“It’s OK not to feel OK. When it becomes concerning is when you’re feeling that way for a long amount of time and you’re don’t have a really healthy coping mechanism. It’s OK to reach out to get help through therapy,” Dr. Jasmin said.
Dr. Jasmin added that every condition doesn’t require medication. One method of talk therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy and it is really effective with helping people cope with mood conditions. This therapy involves a person being more mindful of negative thought patterns and reconstructing
that thought pattern into something that is more realistic
and positive. Then, to repeat that cycle over and over again, until it becomes a healthy coping mechanism.
There are five Chicago Department of Public Health Mental Health Centers. They are located in Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Greater Lawn, Lawndale and North River. For more information about Chicago Public Health, visit www. chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdph.html. For more information
about Aetna Health, visit www.aetna. com.
