This week has been Mental Illness Awareness Week in South Dakota. Department of Social Services Secretary Laurie Gill says it’s important for you or anyone you care about who has a mental illness challenge to talk to a professional. “Mental illness is treatable,” she says. “Nobody should go through their mental illness challenges alone. There’s help for everybody no matter where you live.”
Gill says some signs of the onset of mental illness include changes such as lengthy sadness, being withdrawn for a period of time, and threats of self-harm. Other signs include overwhelming fear for no reason, significant weight loss or gain, seeing or hearing things that aren’t real, using drugs or alcohol excessively, and sudden drastic changes in mood, behavior, or personality.
Gill adds that there are a lot of different ways for people to get professional help without waiting lists or times, including via text or phone. For more information on getting help for mental illness, go to http://www.605strong.com or call 211.