Making Mental Health a Safe Conversation
Roz Brown, Public News Service – SD
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Studies show that more than 43 million Americans
suffer from mental illness, but less than half – 43% – receive
treatment.
May is Mental Health Month,
and professionals in the field say it’s a good opportunity to have hard
conversations. Wendy Giebink, executive director of the South Dakota
chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said the stigma of
mental illness can sometimes prevent people from talking openly about
the issue, and can limit help for those who need it the most.
“One-in-5 people is going to be experiencing a mental-health condition
in their lifetime, and many people that we know are experiencing them
right now,” Giebink said. “So taking time to talk about this, I think,
is really important.”
On Saturday, NAMI South Dakota will hold its 16th annual NAMI-Walks
event at Sertoma Park in Sioux Falls to raise awareness and funds for
programs that address mental illness. Registration is required and can
be completed at namiwalks.org/southdakota.
Giebink said 50% of mental-illness symptoms begin before the age of 14,
and 75% begin before age 24. She said that’s important because suicide
is the second leading cause of death for youths and young adults in
South Dakota.
“We really don’t know everything we need to know in South Dakota,” she
said. “We don’t know where our resource gaps are. We don’t know the best
way to find solutions to the problems that we are identifying. And as
we identify some of these problems, then we can maybe address some of
them legislatively.”
A 2016 murder case in South Dakota has raised concerns about whether
those afflicted with mental illness should face the death penalty.
Twenty-four-year-old Heath Otto admitted to killing his mother and young
nephew but later was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Prosecutors have yet
to announce if they will seek the death penalty, which is allowed under
state law.
But Giebink said NAMI’s position is consistent.
“NAMI’s position nationwide is that people who commit a crime while they
are mentally ill or if they’ve been diagnosed and they are not being
treated or whatever the situation is, that they should not receive the
death penalty,” she said.
Giebink noted treatment for mental illness is 80% effective for those who receive medical care.