Psychiatrist raises awareness on World Mental Health Day

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Today is World Mental Health Day, a day to raise awareness of mental health issues worldwide. One in five U.S. adults faces a mental health condition, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“One in 20 of those is severe mental illness and about 59 percent of people who have problems with mental illness got treated in 2023. That’s 40 percent of the people who are struggling with depression and anxiety that did not reach out and get treatment or maybe they reached out and failed,” Beth Carson, psychiatric nurse practitioner, said.

Bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety are just a few of the mental health disorders that many face. Carson explained some of the visible signs of these disorders.

“Some of the symptoms can be being less involved with the things you used to enjoy, anxiety, feeling nervous wanting to isolate yourself, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness, those are things that a person might notice themselves,” Carson said.

Carson stressed how important it is for people to see the signs of mental health disorders in others and ask if they need help.

“If it’s you, talk to someone. If you are worried about a friend or a family member, ask them, ‘Hey is everything going okay? What’s going on with you? Do you want to talk about something?’ There is never a reason not to ask a friend if they are going through something,” Carson said.

Carson says there is a big stigma when it comes to mental health, she but hopes to raise more awareness on these issues.

Some valuable resources for those suffering from mental health issues include the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses (NAMI), the Calm app, 211, and the 988 Lifeline.

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