Mental health researchers are constantly looking for new ways of offering hope to those living with treatment-resistant depression. And some of those options have become available right here in Wichita in the last few years. One of the most promising is Spravato.

Senior isolation has been linked to anxiety and depression, not to mention high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, Alzheimer’s, weakened immune systems, and general cognitive decline.

An estimated 195,000 people are employed within the city limits of Wichita. And combined, those people – myself included – are costing their employers nearly $1.4 billion dollars in lost productivity due to untreated mental illness every year.

Behavioral changes which are met with silence and indifference reinforce to the person exhibiting those changes that they are alone in their struggle, and that isolation is the primary enemy of good mental health.

More than two hours a day in front of a screen has been linked to childhood obesity, behavioral problems, impaired academic performance, and more.

Much has been made of the efforts in Wichita to address homelessness as a part of the renewed effort toward mental health. But while all thumbs are fingers, not all fingers are thumbs.

Substance use disorders in those who are already living with another mental illness may arise from the short-term effects of the substance without regard for the long-term effects.

What many of us think of as anger is actually a manifestation of how people manage their anger.

The next time you hear a story about mental illness, think about the children, adults, and seniors in your life, and how the seemingly innocuous actions they take each day actually reflect the mental health struggles that they are trying to hide.

In the 2022 mental health report, Kansas ranked 51st in the country.