Since you might be reading this blog rather than our social media, here’s a little summary of what you might have missed over on Facebook! Our 10 posts in October included:
A quote from TC co-founder Theresa Rulien, Ph.D., President and CEO of Child Guidance Center: “The benefit of the trainings and conversation created in a Talkable Community is the ability for this information and understanding to be passed into the next generations as it becomes a foundational part of families’ and our communities’ knowledge base.”
Talkable Communities in the news! In an op-ed titled: “Help by taking the initiative on mental health conversations” published in the Florida Times Union on Oct. 30, Dr. Laureen Pagel, CEO of Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare, detailed several ways to make a positive difference in the lives of family members, friends and neighbors. If you’re not a TU subscriber, you can read the full oped on our blog for free at https://www.talkablecommunities.org/post/taking-the-initiative-on-mental-health-conversations
The October training schedule, reminding our audience that Talkable Communities makes it easy to support your loved ones and neighbors with free and accessible mental health resources and training courses that benefit everyone.
A reminder about National Depression Screening Day. The gist:
If you or anyone you know have experienced symptoms of depression for at least two weeks, it’s essential to see a medical professional. According to the National Institute of Mental Health: “An estimated 21 million adults in the United States [have] had at least one major depressive episode. This number represented 8.4% of all U.S. adults.” The post also contained links to our TC partners, as well as more information about depression at Mental Health America: https://www.mhanational.org/conditions/depression
Posts about Nassau County and Putnam County suicide rates. Citing the fact that both counties have an annual suicide rate higher per 100,000 people than the state of Florida’s rate, we urged readers to access the free mental health resources available from our partnership.
A summary of how TC’s virtual and in-person trainings can prepare you for mental health emergencies.
It’s Time to Talk About It, which is designed to teach family members, caregivers, and other invested community members who interact with young people how to recognize the warning signs and risk factors of suicide so that they are able to identify these signs in youth who they may encounter in everyday activities and have conversations about suicide that help youth create a safety net.
Question. Persuade. Refer. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in Question. Persuade. Refer. (QPR) learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help.
Youth Mental Health First Aid aims to elevate the mental well-being of young people.
A post about Mental Health Awareness Week reminding North Florida residents that mental health is a huge part of overall health and should be a priority for everyone, whether you have a mental health condition or not. Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental illness isn't always easy. There's no easy test that can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness."