Labeling suicide a public health emergency, a group of mental health providers and interested citizens gathered Thursday evening to raise interest for the recently developed suicide task force and brainstorm
Staff with the Bedford-Somerset Developmental and Behavioral Health Services placed the ribbons Friday morning.
âWeâre trying to raise awareness of mental health and reduce the stigma associated with it,â said Tracey Shontz, director of the psychiatric rehabilitation and supportive housing at Cornerstone Community Services, a subsidiary of DBHS.
One in six youth aged 6 to 17 and one in five adults experience a mental health condition each year, according to DBHS. Fewer than half of the adults who experience a mental illness get needed help.
Shontz said those issues have increased over the past year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.