May is Mental Health Month

May 13, 2019

To fully thrive and feel our best, it is important that we intentionally nourish all aspects of our wellbeing. Sadly, when it comes to mental health, we often ignore warning signs in ourselves and in those close to us, even though we are aware that up to nearly 25% of Americans experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lifetime, and about half of those begin before age 14. A few of the most common mental health concerns are depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.  

It is important to keep in mind that that mood disorders occur more frequently than we might think and it is okay to say, “I feel depressed”, “I feel anxious”, or “I have been struggling with major mood swings”. Seeking help is the first step to recovery and recovery IS possible when the issue can be identified.

Join us in working to remove the mental health stigma and to feel more open to discuss these concerns with others. The Rees-Jones Foundation is committed to this issue and has supported a few notable projects that seek to help provide preventive and intervention supports.

• UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care:
  • Expanding VitalSign6, a web-based diagnostic tool used to screen for depression, into pediatric healthcare.
  • Developing the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) mobile app and complementary in-school program that is now used in more than 20 North Texas schools.
• Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute’s “Okay to Say” public awareness initiative designed to reduce stigma associated with mental illness.  

Through these efforts, and others, the Foundation actively funds organizations and programs that are dedicated to changing the discussion around behavioral health issues and improving access to more quality, therapeutic providers across North Texas.

To self-screen and learn more about the state of your current mental health, here are two links you can try: UT Southwestern’s “Depression Self-Rating Test” and Mental Health America’s “Mental Health Screening Tools” page. Remember, help is out there and recovery is possible. It’s never too late to start improving mental health.