Mental Illness is not a "Casserole Illness"

I was speaking on the phone with my friend Sara the other night when she told me a close friend of hers had been diagnosed with brain cancer.  Sara went on to tell me about the meals she prepared and brought over to the family so that they would not have to worry about cooking while they were going through this difficult time.

Later in our conversation, Sara shared that she had learned that another friend’s husband had just come home from the hospital after spending some time on the psychiatric unit for depression and a “possible” suicide attempt.  When I asked her what kind of food did she prepare for their family she paused for a minute before saying “I didn’t bring them anything because I didn’t think they would want to be disturbed or talk to anybody about, you know,…what happened.”  I was disappointed in my friend for not recognizing that both families were experiencing a stressful & difficult time and that both were in need of support and meals from family and friends. 

Having attended training last March to become a Mental Health First Aid Instructor I heard the words of my trainer, Mary, echo in my mind.  “Mental illness is not a casserole illness.”  Meaning, when people get cancer or have a stroke everyone rushes over with a casserole in hand, but when it is a mental illness people don’t ring doorbells.   Maybe it’s fear of the unknown that prevents people from visiting or possibly the uncomfortable feeling they get talking about something they don’t understand.  Either way it is disappointing to know that stigma prevents people from helping others.

My conversation with Sara has made me realize just how important our Healthy Outcomes Partnership is to our community. This partnership is comprised of more than 25 experts in psychology, social work, school guidance, adolescent medicine, gerontology and public health working together to address the unmet needs for emotional and mental health support in our local community. 

The primary goals of HOP are to offer ongoing sustained education to the community to reduce stigma, to build greater awareness and knowledge of mental health and to actively connect people to the appropriate mental health care providers.

Through the HOP initiative the Somerset Hills YMCA is proud to offer a new and innovative community education program, Mental Health First Aid. MHFA is an evidenced based certification course, which trains individuals to understand, recognize and provide help and support to those experiencing the symptoms of mental distress until appropriate professional or other help can be engaged.

We recognize that stigma still exists in our community but our hope is that by giving community members the knowledge and resources to assist a neighbor in need, those suffering from mental illness will not only get the support they need but perhaps a casserole.

Susan Visser, Healthy Outcomes Partnership Coordinator, Somerset Hills YMCA