May is Mental Health Month. We examine fact and fiction
associated with mental disorders, which affect nearly 60 million
Americans
Think about four of your friends, four people from your office, four people you regularly see in line at the coffee shop or around you at the gym. Chances are, one person in each of those foursomes is dealing with a diagnosable mental disorder. Maybe that one person is you, and you don’t even realize it.
May is National Mental Health Month, providing an opportunity to raise awareness about how common mental disorders are – 57.7 million American adults are dealing with them, according to the National Institute of Mental Health – and debunk the myths and stereotypes that surround them.
“There is still a tremendous amount of stigmatization that surrounds mental disorders, but when you think that at least 15 percent of the population – and the actual number is probably higher – have some kind of disorder, the stigmatisms are ridiculous,” said Dr. Don Mordecai, chief of psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Teresa Medical Center. “Most mental health disorders are extremely treatable, and really no different from a kidney disorder or a heart disorder or any other health issue. They’re all simply problems with the body that need to be taken care of.”
Here in the South Valley, the two most common disorders are anxiety and depression said Antonio Nunez, manager of adult psychiatry at the Gilroy Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices and David Reikowski, psychologist and program director of behavioral care services at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister.
To learn more about disorders that commonly affect American adults, we talked with Mordecai, Nunez and Reikowski about four common mental health issues you or a loved one may be dealing with. And remember, not all disorders necessarily appear in their most severe form, but even mild cases can damage a person’s general health, Reikowski said.
