MONOHANS, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- “Just like you have symptoms of medical issues, you have symptoms of mental health issues, understanding your symptoms and understanding….we all have our mental health, then we have our medical health,” said Ana Collazo, a counselor with Ward Memorial Hospital.
In Texas, 300,000 adolescents struggle with depression, 3.5 million adults live with a behavioral health condition, and thousands of lives are lost to suicide each year, according to the Texas Association of Behavioral Health Systems.
Collazo encouraged West Texans to take care of their mental health as much as they would with a cold or a fever.
“Sometimes it can be day-to-day issues; it doesn’t always have to be these big major traumas, and things like that,” she said. “It can also be just day-to-day, like ‘oh, I’m struggling with anxiety, I’m struggling with this, and they just don’t know the name for it, so I can help them understand the differences.”
Manka Kwayu also works with Ward Memorial Hospital to address mental health issues in rural parts of the Permian Basin.
“As our motto says, ‘neighbors helping neighbors, ‘ and also help your loved ones too, Kwayu said. “Most of the time if you see somebody has all these changes for more than two weeks, let’s say they’re not able to eat, they’re not able to sleep well, they’re not able to function in school, or at work as they used to, for more than two weeks and nothing significant has happened, then definitely there is something going on with them.”
Ward Memorial Hospital offers several mental health resources to the Monahan community and surrounding areas that are accessible and affordable.
Mental health care appointments are now available at Sandhills Family Clinic.
To schedule a visit or learn more about mental health services, please contact the clinic at 432-943-2068.
“I always tell people that prevention is better than a cure,” Kwayu said. “Anytime you feel like ‘oh,’ I’m going through something, or something has happened to me, just come in, get that extra support, or just come and check it out.”
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