Mental health matters

With the changing of the seasons comes chatter of colds and flus, but also those maladies affecting our mental health. Each year, seasonal depression ticks upward as the days grow shorter, colder and darker, and we enter into our long Wyoming winter.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, acronym SAD – who says psychiatrists don’t have a sense of humor? – is estimated to affect roughly four of every 10 Americans annually, according to a 2022 report from the University of Texas, Houston. Women are more likely to report symptoms than men, with almost half of women describing themselves as more depressed in the wintertime.

In a state that ranks above the national average for mental health struggles, including depression and suicide, it is critical for us to consider how wintertime isolation impacts our already vulnerable population. So too should we remember that SAD often impacts people with pre-existing mental health diagnoses, like bipolar disorder, more prevalently, according to the Mayo Clinic.

We shouldn’t take someone’s good cheer or ability to function well in social situations as being indicative of their overall wellness either. So-called high functioning depression means that our friends, family, colleagues and neighbors can continue achieving and socializing as normal. They may appear outwardly upbeat or successful, but inside or at home, they may be struggling.

As we go deeper into the fall and prepare for winter, we should all remember that – as Gov. Mark Gordon said in an address concerning a peer-to-peer support program for veterans – it’s okay to not be okay. And it’s also okay to ask for help when we are struggling.

But, as we have ourselves struggled with our mental health, we know that sometimes isn’t easy. There is a social stigma still tied to this conversation and our own feelings of shame surrounding the idea that we are ‘needful’ in some way. It’s why we know it’s important to make in-roads with those we love, to keep checking up on them, to ask how they’re doing and make ourselves available as someone they can trust.

In Wyoming, programs exist to help those struggling with their mental health. By dialing 9-8-8, you can be directly connected with a trained mental health support specialist anytime, day or night. For veterans, the Veterans Talking to Veterans program exists to connect vets with peers who understand the unique, complex struggles they have and are facing after serving their country. And if you’re an adult who happens to live in the Big Horn Basin, but don’t have the money to see a therapist, there is the Luke Bell Memorial Affordable Counseling Program, which provides vouchers for ten sessions with a licensed mental health practitioner. To learn more, visit lbmacp.org.

The help is there, but only if we’re willing to reach for it.