The country is reeling in the wake of two mass shootings in Texas and Ohio. National conversations around these tragedies include debate on gun legislation and mental health reform. Many people connect gun violence with mental illness, but we must take care to avoid drawing the incorrect conclusions.
“We welcome the increasing attention to address our mental health challenges in America, which have been overlooked for too long,” says Pat McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation. “At the same time, it is vitally important to confront misleading stereotypes and false statements about mental illness and violence. Rather than adding to the stigma and marginalization of mental illness, let’s remind ourselves that mental health is as important as physical health for all of us.”
Palm Health Foundation seeks to better the brain health of all Palm Beach County residents. Part of that work includes erasing the stigma around mental health and brain health challenges. To do this, we must embrace and uplift those who are dealing with challenges and offer the support they need.
With the launch of BeWellPBC, Palm Health Foundation and local partners look forward to finding new and meaningful ways to engage our community’s residents, systems and sectors to address the county’s mental and behavioral health needs collectively. We can do better for our children, families and neighbors, together.
Read more about mental health and gun violence in the article, “America’s mental health problem isn’t mass shootings.”
“The U.S. has a gun violence problem and a mental health problem. But conflating the two won’t solve either….The average person suffering from a mental illness is no more prone to violence than anyone without a mental illness, and mental-health advocates say exaggerating a link between mass shootings and mental illness can be stigmatizing and harmful.”
Stay connected with the BeWellPBC movement by visiting this website.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources, visit this page.
