How to Start a Conversation About Mental Health

May is Mental Health Month – a moment to raise awareness of mental health, individual struggles and the need for collective actions. More than one in five women are living with mental health conditions in the U.S.  What does this tell us? Mental health challenges are more common than you think and you’re not alone. 

For unhoused and housing insecure individuals, receiving adequate health care is no small task. For those who also live with mental health issues, it can be especially daunting. More than 20% of unhoused people are also experiencing mental health conditions, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

With lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising prices and daily triggers, stress continues to increase nationwide. If unmanaged, it can lead to acute and long-term mental health impacts like anxiety and depression.