Advocates say‘warmline’is there to help
One in four adults and one in seven children have a mental health diagnosis, according to officials who organized and participated in last week’s first-ever NAMIWalks.
Lauren Byrd, executive director of NAMI Greater San Antonio, praised the turnout on Oct. 31 at the Patrick Heath Public Library amphitheater for the one-mile NAMIWalks for mental health awareness.
“If you’re a parent of a child, or the child of a parent, who is having a mental health condition, it’s going to impact your life. It’ll impact everything you do,” Byrd said.
The turnout is indicative of the awareness and need for additional education and exposure to resources available to those in crisis, counselors said.
“There’s not a stigma attached to mental health; it’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Byrd said. “And asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength.
She added, “That’s why it’s so important to show up, and start the conversation, to give people a safe space where there are likeminded individuals that want to reduce the stigma of mental health so we can start conversations that lead to education and action.”
Joining Byrd on stage prior to the start of the morning walk down the Old No. 9 Trail were Boerne Police Chief Steve Perez, Kendall County Sheriff Al Auxier and Hill Country Family Services Executive Director Bryce Boddie.
Perez said his officers and Auxier’s deputies intervene “when conditions are in the red,” or at their worst. Both law enforcement agencies have staff trained to respond to just such emergencies.
“The issue is trying to get the people who need the help to those places or in touch with those people who can help,” Perez said.
He talked about police officers working with individuals experiencing mental health issues and the toll it takes on everyone involved.
“I’ve always got to give attention to the families that are with those people, because it takes a toll on the families; we know that,” he said.
Byrd said there are some people who are predisposed to mental health conditions depending upon genetics, past traumas or past history.
“The science shows that your neural pathways actually change, they remap and that’s really the symptoms you see as a result of mental health conditions,” she added.
There is a phone service — a “warmline,” not a hotline — available for those in crisis, with a diagnosis, or with questions or concerns for a friend, a family member or themselves.
The warmline at 210-9399999 is a valuable resource line, she said.
“It is there for just what you said; ‘You know, I feel like my spouse is exhibiting some symptoms,’ ‘I’m not so sure about mom,’ or ‘I have this diagnosis or a family member does, and I don’t know what to do, or I don’t know where to turn,’” Byrd said. “Calling our warmline is a great place to start.”
Perez said spreading awareness and making resources available is the way to help address mental health conditions and treatment.
“It takes a family, it does take a community, and it takes the support of people like you that showed up today, to recognize it, bring that attention to the top, and say we need to manage this and minimize those people in crisis,” the chief added.
“It takes a toll on the families; we know that.”
— Police Chief Steve Perez
Participants in the first-ever NAMI Walks event cross the Old No. 9 Trail bridge behind the Patrick Heath Public Library on Oct. 31. Star photo by Jeff B. Flinn
