They say that when it rains, it pours. But the truth is that when one thing happens, it makes it more likely that another thing will happen. That type of correlation exists in the world of mental health as much as it does anywhere else. Schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder are highly correlated to cigarette smoking. Homelessness has a strong connection with substance use disorders. And post-traumatic stress disorder often appears months or years after childhood trauma.
In other words, mental illness does not exist in a vacuum. So it only makes sense to provide care for those illnesses in a comprehensive way. If you live with depression but are trying to treat it with alcohol use, you need treatment for both. If that alcohol use stems from facing abuse in your formative years, then you need trauma-informed care as well. And if you’re worried about the challenges your children may face due to the generational and genetic nature of these illnesses, your family may need case management or prevention services as well. Providing these wrap-around programs only makes sense. Yet far too many organizations nibble away at the edges, based on what is financially profitable, or what they are able to find the monetary resources to offer.
To be sure, everyone willing to do what they can to address mental health is highly valued. Whether it is a household offering financial support, or a non-profit unable to staff a particular need. But a city the size of Wichita has comprehensive measures available, and sending people all over the city to different agencies when they may not even have reliable transportation is counter-productive to a sustainable treatment plan. Please seek the help you need for your own mental health, but make sure to ask about complimentary programs at the same time.
