OGDENSBURG -- May is National Mental Health Month, and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center is taking this opportunity to raise awareness of trauma and its impact on children, families, and our communities' physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Mental health is an essential piece of a person's overall health. With proper treatment and prevention, people can recover from mental disorders and live full, productive lives.

Hospitals and healthcare systems like Claxton-Hepburn play a key role in providing behavioral health care and helping the patient find resources available in our community. We create unique partnerships to address behavioral health issues in non-traditional ways. These efforts have significantly improved the outlook for those affected by mental illness. Mental Health Month gives us all an opportunity to recognize the tremendous strides this Nation has made in promoting mental health and increasing the public's knowledge that effective services and support are available.

Dr. Pakkam Rajasekaran, a psychiatrist at Claxton-Hepburn, stated, "Mental Health Awareness is critical now more than ever." He continues, "Between isolation and loneliness of COVID-19, loss of jobs, loss of family members, and ongoing uncertainty, all of these contribute to a sense of restlessness and hopelessness." He adds, "Children are even more vulnerable and often express their distress in other ways such as behaviorally. Our community offers a wide variety of help with dedicated and resilient providers and staff to work together to help through ongoing struggles and for a better overall future."

In the 2019 Community Health Survey of St. Lawrence County adult residences, 11.5% of respondents reported that they had been diagnosed with a mental health condition. One of the harsh realities of mental illness is suicide which has become a public health crisis in St. Lawrence County. In fact, according to a 2020 Community Health Survey of St. Lawrence County Adult residences, the optimism about one's mental health has decreased significantly in St. Lawrence County between 2018 and 2020, currently at 15%, up from 8%.

According to the National Alliance for Mental Ill, about 90% of people who die by suicide had shown symptoms of a mental health condition, according to interviews with family, friends, and medical professionals. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth. Transgender adults are nearly 12 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. 78% of people who die by suicide are male. The annual prevalence or serious thoughts of suicide are: 4.8% of all adults, 11.8% or young adults (age 18-25), 18.8% of high school students, and 46.8% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school students.

The good news is that there is now more than ever many reliable mental health resources in St. Lawrence County and 69% of St. Lawrence County residents are aware of at least one resource to which they could refer somebody to who seemed at risk for suicide. Unfortunately, only 8% of those residents referred somebody and/or accessed suicide prevention services. Households with children were more likely to access suicide prevention resources. Dr. Dhruv Modi, a psychiatrist at Claxton-Hepburn, stated, "These issues are real. We have to overcome the stigma against mental illness and encourage people in need to reach out. There is hope and treatment available."

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center offers a comprehensive mental health treatment program for both inpatients and outpatients. Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Jamie Kinney, FPMHNP from Claxton-Hepburn, stated, "We treat the person, not the illness." Our emergency department's staff is here to provide emergent mental health crisis care for all ages, while our adult inpatient mental health unit offers a comprehensive treatment plan. Our outpatient Wellness Center offers a broad range of comprehensive outpatient mental health services for children and adults. In both settings, our professionally licensed staff use a team approach to your care. They work with you to develop an individualized care plan that uses best practices and evidence-based treatments.

Additionally, the opening of our new children's mental health inpatient unit, scheduled for later this summer, will provide comprehensive inpatient mental health treatment for children and adolescents under 18 years of age. This unit's addition compliments Claxton-Hepburn's continuum of care that begins in the Emergency Department and continues through our inpatient units and our Wellness Center. To learn more, visit www.claxtonhepburn and click on Mental Health Services tab. Additionally, St. Lawrence County provides many comprehensive mental health resources.