What do you know about Mental Health of Students in Normal IL?

Whether you're reading an article, scrolling through social media, viewing media clips, or watching the news, mental health is making headlines. You hear often that living in the Bloomington/Normal area is like living in a bubble, so we wanted to dive deeper to see if Mclean County is being impacted.  And if it is, in what ways is it manifesting itself, how can we spread awareness and what can be done to help.

Let's address the first question; is this an issue in McLean County?  According to the McLean County Community Health Council, “the county’s biggest health concerns are access to appropriate health care; behavioral health, including mental health and substance abuse”.  That statement packs a punch, so let's unpack it and see what we can learn. The first thing they call out is access to appropriate health care as a concern.  Does this mean that there are not enough available providers, or there is a financial reason for not having access to health care, or both?  From my research, I have found that it's both.  There is a real strain on the limited number of providers who are licensed to work with youth under a certain age.  There is also a financial element that can impact a person's ability to access appropriate health care.  In the case of McLean County, specialized care isn't necessarily nearby.  Specialists can be located in Peoria, Champaign, or as far away as Chicago.  Propinquity alone could be the deciding factor for someone receiving or not receiving the help they need.

So how do we address inadequate access to health care?  Thankfully we live in the information age and have options we've never had before. 

• Telemedicine - being able to meet with a patient without need to travel and take copious of time off work. 
• Volunteer Organizations - Some volunteer organizations like PATH and NAMI can help with referrals and addressing an urgent need.
• Social Media - Connect with others with similar struggles to learn and understand different coping mechanisms and tactics that have worked for them.

The next item from the statement that I would like to focus on is substance abuse.  Is substance abuse a character flaw or is it something more?  When access to health care and in turn appropriate medications, those who suffer can be drawn to ease their suffering with illegal substances.  Unfortunately, illegal substances aren't hard to find and don't require a prescription to obtain. Once the body becomes dependent, it becomes another struggle the person has to overcome.  

It is proven that we have an issue here, but what makes this a crisis?  How are members of our youth struggling? 

• Suicide 
• Depression 
• Eating disorders 
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

These are just a few ways in which our youth struggling with mental health issues. 

What can we do?  How do we raise awareness?  How can we be the voice of change?