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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but mental health is not a “May issue.” It is a family issue, a workplace issue, a school issue, a church issue, and a community issue.

Here in Bartholomew County, the numbers should make us pause. The Indiana Mental Health Roundtable estimates that one in five adults experiences mental illness each year, which would equal approximately 12,415 adults in Bartholomew County. The same county profile reports that 47% of middle and high school students surveyed in 2023 reported experiencing depression in the past year, representing roughly 2,375 local students.

That means mental health is not happening “somewhere else.” It is happening in our neighborhoods, classrooms, pews, farms, factories, offices, and homes.

Amanda Stropes, LCSW, Behavioral Health Director at WindRose Health Network, says mental health conversations often begin too late. “One of the most important things we can do as a community is normalize asking, ‘How are you really doing?’ People often wait until they are in crisis to reach out, but mental health care is health care. Support, counseling, medication when appropriate, and connection can help people before life feels unmanageable.”

Mental health can look different from person to person. For one person, it may look like panic, racing thoughts, or sleepless nights. For another, it may look like anger, withdrawal, exhaustion, overeating, not eating, or losing interest in things they once enjoyed. In children and teens, it may show up as irritability, declining grades, isolation, stomachaches, headaches, or changes in behavior.

The “wow factor” is this: mental health is directly tied to physical health. The CDC states that mental and physical health are closely linked; depression can increase the risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, and chronic illness can increase the risk of developing a mental health condition.

For Hope and surrounding communities, that means mental health care is not separate from whole-person health. It belongs in the same conversation as blood pressure, diabetes, pain, sleep, nutrition, and family stress.

This month, consider doing three simple things. First, check on someone you have not heard from in a while. Second, ask deeper than “How are you?” Third, know where to turn. If someone is thinking about suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Indiana’s 2024 Overdose and Suicide Report notes that trained crisis specialists are available 24/7 to provide free, confidential support.

Mental Health Awareness Month is not about labeling people. It is about loving people well enough to notice, ask, listen, and help.

References: Indiana Mental Health Roundtable; CDC; Indiana Department of Health.