InFocus: May is Mental Health Awareness Month

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month.

Throughout the month there will be many local, state and national events designed to bring awareness to the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI ) one in five adults in the United States has experienced a mental illness, with 4.9 million people unable to access needed care.

This week on 22News InFocus we’ll be talking with several local organizations that offer mental health services and programs for individuals and families in need of help.

Watch 22News InFocus on Sunday at noon. If you miss any of the programs you can find it here on WWLP.com.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or suffering a mental health crisis, help is available through the 988 Lifeline , a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. Call 988 and speak to a crisis counselor.

Below is a list of links to the organizations that participated in this week’s program:

• MIRAVISTA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER
• BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NETWORK (BHN)
• CENTER FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (CHD)
• COLORFUL RESILIENCE
• GANDARA CENTER

22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts in March 1953. Watch the 22News digital edition on weekdays at 4 p.m.

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