Mental Health America of the MidSouth
Canine Connections partners with mental health organizations such as Mental Health America of the MidSouth. Mental Health of America’s (MHA) mission is to ” improve the lives of persons living with mental health challenges by advocating for improved public policy, educating health service providers, and connecting individuals to the right help at the right time” (MHA). Through partnering, MHA can connect individuals to us who would benefit from a canine companion.
Their Background
MHA is the nation’s largest and oldest mental health advocacy organization. It was founded in 1909 by Clifford Beers, a consumer of mental health services. MHA Midsouth was founded in 1946 by a Vanderbilt psychiatrist, Frank Lutton. The organization’s core was to provide a helpline and community resources, which it still holds today. In 1988, MHA expanded from just Nashville to helping all of Middle Tennessee. They provide even more services and programs today.
Mission
MHA’s Mental Health Bell is a sign of hope. In the early 1950s, MHA called asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. They basically melted down these inhuman bindings and recast them into a sign of hope, the bell. “Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness.”
Resources
MHA provides many services such as caregiver support. The Caregiver Support Program specifically focuses on empowering families that have a loved one battling Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. This provides them with a network of support and lets them know that they are not alone in this. One example of what this looks like is support groups offered in person and online. MHA also focuses on suicide prevention. “Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals 20 to 34 years of age in Tennessee and affects people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic groups” (MHA). Someone dies of suicide once every 11 minutes in the United States.
Coming from someone who has personally lost a close family member to suicide, I see the need and value for organizations like MHA, as well as other resources today. MHA can discuss and inform patients about Canine Connections in small groups if someone sees fit. This could also look like bringing in some dogs to therapy or other support groups to see how the interactions improve mental health. As our previous research blogs have shown, exposing yourself to dogs biologically reduces your stress levels and anxiety.
MHA’s website is very impressive. They also provide training for anyone who wants to be trained on mental health and to further educate themselves about it. This is a great resource for families who have a loved one struggling mentally, that do not know how to help because they have not been through it. Their website also includes screening tests for depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, Bipolar, and many others. This is an easy online tool that can sort of self-diagnose you. But if you feel the results are not accurate, it can encourage you to get screened for it in person.
If you or a loved one have been experiencing any mental health issues, please check out Mental Health America’s website here. You can call or text 988 if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. Are you considering Canine Connections as a resource for your mental health? If so, we welcome you with open arms and would love to get you started here. Tell that friend of yours battling with their mental health to check us out. Nobody is alone.
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