According to the National Institute for Mental Health, by 2019, more than 51 million Americans were dealing with some form of mental illness. That's one in every five people in this country. My own battles with it have spanned more than 30 years, but it wasn't until I suffered a complete emotional breakdown in 2011 that I realized how bad mental illness can get. Ove the years, I've developed coping skills to help get me through it, but I wasn't able to find a therapist I could afford to work with until last year. I'm not alone in that struggle. I met Relationship and Mental Health Counselor Sovann Pen over a decade ago, and he joined me to talk about what he's seen in his patients during the Year of COVID, how relationships with someone dealing with mental illness requires work by both parties, how the societal stigmas and taboos still surrounding mental illness need to be addressed and resolved and how one of the best things you can do to booth your mental health is get a good night's sleep.
CBT-I Coach: https://mobile.va.gov/app/cbt-i-coach
Calm.com Sleep Assistance videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/calmdotcom
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.NAMI.org
To Write Love on Her Arms - a non-profit dedicated to providing hope and help for those struggling with mental illness: https://www.TWLOHA.com
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7/365 at 1 (800) 273-8255 or online at https://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org