May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and a perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of talking about and treating mental illness. On Tuesday, May 10 Steinberg Institute CEO Karen Larsen joined the anchor team from CBS Sacramento for a discussion about mental health stigma, how to find care and how to help our youth who face a mental health crisis.
Karen highlighted the need to treat mental health with the same importance as physical health. “That’s part of the reason we choose to use the term brain health at the Steinberg Institute,” said Larsen. “The brain is an organ just like other body organs: your heart, your liver or your kidney. And we’d really love to see less stigma and mental health treated like any health condition.”
She also discussed activities that help people who might be feeling down, such as physical activity and volunteering.
Even once Mental Health Awareness Month is over, it’s critical that everyone continues to talk about mental health with friends, family and colleagues.