Undoubtedly, this last year has dealt us unrivaled challenges in an economic, social, emotional, and physical sense. This new year offers us a crossroad to reconsider how we discuss health and well-being in a productive way.

One daunting challenge of taking on this resolution is: How can we focus on personal improvements during a global pandemic and uncertainty in what the future holds? However, it is exactly during such times our well-being calls upon us for a stronger focus on our health and for us to come together in support of that extra care. Indeed, these unparalleled times bring a level of stress and isolation that significantly threatens our emotional well-being and increases the needs for these responses.

“At Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc., we work in Eastern Oregon and other rural and frontier communities toward our vision of strong, healthy communities where all individuals are supported in achieving, health, wellness and their full potential,” said Karen Wheeler, GOBHI CEO. “Through important communication channels like the Observer, we want to share information and encourage community conversations on topics important to behavioral health and general well-being in this region,” Wheeler continued.

A natural starting place for that discussion is removing the topic of mental illness from the shadows of life and bringing it into the light of day with compassion and a better understanding of its commonality among us.

The biggest myths about mental health conditions are 1) mental illness is rare and 2) the belief that people with a mental illness never recover. Another difficult aspect of this disease is the limited public understanding about the system of care that treats mental illnesses.

The truth is that mental illness is far more common than people think. About one in five adults experience a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. That means either you, or someone you love, or someone you know probably has or will have a mental illness. This includes diagnoses like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Another myth is the perception that someone with a mental illness is non-functioning and will not recover. Like physical health, mental health has a recovery goal. Recovery means that people living with mental health conditions can live meaningful lives in their community of choice while striving to achieve their full potential. Even people with acute conditions, who receive treatment, can live healthier lives with improved interpersonal relationships, sustained employment and continued educational pursuits.

Some mental health conditions are more common than physical illnesses. For example, schizophrenia is:

•Twice as common as Alzheimer’s.

• Six times more prevalent than insulin-dependent Diabetes.

• 60 times more often experienced than Muscular Dystrophy.

All these illnesses are, of course, difficult for individuals and their families, and mental illness can often carry an extra burden of an external stigma, or internal shame, which makes seeking treatment even more difficult, particularly in rural parts of Oregon. This seems counterintuitive. After all, one of the greatest strengths in rural communities is how people come together to help each other during difficult times.

For those living with mental illnesses, however, reaching out for help can also create great fear and worry of others finding out about their struggles with emotional well-being. This is part of an overarching stigma of mental illness and something we all need to work together to change.

If we went to the doctor with a broken arm, we wouldn’t have the burden of worrying what others think of us. The same should be true for reaching out for support with anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses. And the only way that will change, is if we all change how we think about those illnesses, the way we talk about them, and the way we support each other during healing. Mental illness is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign — a rather common sign — we need to give our emotional well-being extra attention. In addition, emotional health is not sliced away from physical health. They interact with each other in whole person care.

One question often asked is, “How does the local mental healthcare system work, and how effective are these services?”

As part of our work in the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, GOBHI works in close partnership with community mental health providers throughout the 12-county region.

The community mental health provider serving Union County is the Center for Human Development, which is also the local public health authority. CHD is a private, not-for-profit health organization, located in La Grande, which provides mental health treatment in addition to treatment for substance use disorder. It provides evidence-based treatment in a welcoming environment. CHD services also include public health, developmental disabilities, prevention, environmental health, and veterans services to county residents. It is an important hub and connector to services that lead to community health. We encourage you to reach out to CHD, and your family physician, to talk about any concerns you have about your emotional well-being.

No agency or family can do this work “on their own.” It takes all of us collaborating to build a strong system of care, and address factors which influence our health. We must do so in a way that respects individuals and their family members as the core of that collaboration.

At GOBHI, we do this work because we believe in each individual’s ability to heal and to live to their fullest potential. By working together to remove the stigma of seeking help, and providing effective services in a supportive approach, then we create many more reasons for hope than for despair. This new year only casts that hope into sharper focus.