Message from the Chief Wellness Officer

Hello Everyone,

 

The first week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Throughout Mental Illness Awareness Week, I always reflect on my story and how I have dedicated my life’s work towards helping those in need. This year, I challenge you to help Ohio State do our part to raise awareness for this critical issue and support the millions of Americans who suffer from and battle mental health issues every single day.

 

When I was 15 years old, my mom sneezed and had a hemorrhagic stroke right in front of me. She had a history of headaches for well over a year for which she saw her physician a week before she died. Over the next four years, I lost a cousin who was like a brother and my only grandparent that I ever knew. My dad had a heart attack a year later. He didn’t die at that time, but we are talking about a lot of loss in a short period of time – and extreme fear of loss.

 

From these events, I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for a couple of years and was prescribed medication instead of the gold standard treatment: cognitive behavioral therapy. I dedicated my life’s work towards improving mental health outcomes in children, teens and parents by becoming a nurse, then a pediatric nurse practitioner, then a psychiatric nurse practitioner and going on for my PhD. I used my education to develop evidence-based cognitive behavioral skills building programs to help individuals develop resiliency during life’s toughest moments and so that more children, teens and young adults could receive evidence-based treatment for depression and anxiety. We call this program MINDSTRONG here at Ohio State and are bringing it to many students across campus. We will soon have it available for faculty and staff. Sadly, approximately one in four children, teens and adults have a mental health problem, yet less than 25% receive treatment. Prevention is key; we must equip everyone with cognitive-behavioral and coping skills before they have a mental health crisis. If you are interested in going through the MINDSTRONG program to learn these skills and promote your own resiliency, please contact Dr. Jackie Hoying. Also, we have wonderful resources at our Just Breathe website.

 

If we aren’t prepared with the best strategies to overcome life’s biggest character builders, it will be hard to enjoy our journey. I encourage you to make your mental health a priority this month and practice tactics to increase your resiliency and decrease stress.

Go Bucks!

 

 

Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN

Vice President for Health Promotion

University Chief Wellness Officer

Dean and Professor, College of Nursing

Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, College of Medicine

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