Based on a letter from the Fairfax Partnership for Youth, mental wellness will be the topic this month. Most people have a family member or know of someone who is affected by mental illness, and it is important to share personal stories to decrease the stigma of this type of illness.

The most common mental illness, depression, is brain-based. It can be triggered by traumatic experiences or tragedy and/or by genetic predisposition. When a person is physically healthy, emotionally resilient, and has positive family and social relationships, the person is in the best position to be mentally healthy. On the other hand, the best efforts to focus on the positive will not prevent some people from developing mental illness. The factors that can help protect people from developing depression or anxiety also can be helpful for those already experiencing mental illness. Receiving the appropriate medical and mental health treatment is crucial for recovery from mental illness. But being accepted, welcomed, and valued by others is equally important in an individual’s struggle to overcome illness, and to maximize their quality of life.

It is important to understand that depression is more than having a bad day or feeling blue. People have described serious depression as being physically and emotionally painful and debilitating. Family members suffer along with the individual. Everyone benefits when effective treatment is obtained.

The importance of helping people to seek effective treatment for depression is underscored by the fact that the greatest cause of suicide is untreated depression. Depression is a treatable illness. Each year, about 31,000 people in the United States die by suicide; that is one person every 17 minutes. The devastating impact of suicide is that the family and close friends of the suicide victim are nine times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.

As a faith community, the Pohick congregation can focus on maximizing protective factors by offering acceptance, belonging, and a sense of shared purpose. Having faith is protective because it offers hope to others.