LIHUE — The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and more than two dozen people representing a variety of different government agencies and community organizations took to Rice Street fronting the historic County Building on Thursday to raise awareness about mental health.
“Good mental health is for everybody from children to kupuna,” said Council Chair Mel Rapozo who stood in for Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami who could not be present to off the Mental Health Month proclamation to the group led by the Department of Health. “Having good mental health is something the county supports.”
Spearheaded by the Department of Health, Kauai District Health Office, the group that elicited honks of support from passing cars included members of the Kauai County Council, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, Adult Mental Health Division, the Department of Education, Children’s Mental Health Acceptance Planning Hui, Hale Opio, and even an individual employed by the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Founded in 1949 by Mental Health America, the organization has led the effort to promote mental wellness throughout the nation.
The proclamation authored by the Office of the Mayor states that we recognize that our mental health is just as important as our physical health and that affirming individuals who struggle is critical to reducing the fear, worry, blame and shame experienced by families and their loved ones.
“We acknowledge that one in seven youth experiences a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder, and we accept that one in five adults lives with mental illnesses,” the proclamation reads. “Early intervention is crucial for recognizing signs and knowing when to seek help.”
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.
“Mental health is a basic human right,” the WHO said. “It is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.”
There are affordable, effective and feasible strategies available to promote, protect and restore mental health, and a good starting point to discover these solutions can be by visiting any of the organizations and agencies that were not embarrassed to be seen advocating for May being Mental Health Awareness Month.
