Local nonprofit organization hosts first Mental Health Summit to inform, tackle community issues

WARNER ROBINS – Mental Health Matters of Middle Georgia kicked off Mental Health Awareness month by hosting its first Mental Health Summit on Friday, May 9.

Mental Health Matters of Middle Georgia is a nonprofit organization that has evolved. The organization has worked with local systems, including the Houston County School Board, law enforcement, criminal justice system. 

President Chrystal Wasden is a licensed professional counselor who has seen the needs, deficits and mental health statistics in Houston County.  She said the summit was a way to bring awareness, but, more importantly, unite the community to solve problems instead of in silence, their organization’s overall goal.

The event started with a keynote speaker, Houston County Superior Court Judge Katherine Lumsden. She discussed why mental health matters and its importance in the community. She said every day, she sees suffering, and she believes it can be alleviated. 

“I’m here because I believe as community, we must champion prioritizing and destigmatizing mental health. This is a call to action, ladies and gentlemen. There is so much misinformation, misunderstanding, unwarranted shame around these issues. We can [and] we must do better,” she said.

Lumsden’s definition of mental health is emotional, psychological and social well-being. She shared that mental health affects how people feel and think, and determines how people handle stress, relate to others and make choices. 

She said there are two different reactions people have when talking about mental health or mental illness: they know and live the struggle, but they think they’re the only one dealing with it, or they believe only a certain group of people struggle with mental health, which leads to bias and misunderstanding. However, neither viewpoints reflect reality, Lumsden said. 

“Mental health conditions are not about being lazy or weak. Research clearly shows mental health conditions have multiple contributing factors including biological ones, such as genes or physical illness, injury or brain chemistry, life experience, trauma, abuse [and] certain stressors,” she said.

According to Lumsden, research also shows that intervention matters and treatment works. This means prevention and reduction are possible.

Various speakers spoke about different topics throughout the day. Wasden said they talked about resource deficiency, meaning what services the county does not have. Another point of discussion was the civil commitment process, which informed attendees about what to do when clients are in crisis and the court forces them to receive help. During this point of the event, Judge Kristen Harris discussed the legal process when a person is at risk of hurting themselves or someone else. 

Early in the event, Tangela Brice with the Houston County Board of Education spoke about at-risk youth and the truancy problem in the county. Truancy refers to a student’s constant absence without a valid excuse. Wasden said the organization’s initiatives attempt to tackle those issues because it can be a precursor to students getting involved in the criminal justice system later on.

According to Lumsden, one in seven children in the country experiences abuse or neglect each year. She said children with mental, emotional and behavioral concerns are three times more likely to repeat a grade. Lumsden also shared that those suffering from significant depression are twice as likely to drop out of high school and intervention matters.

The Community Service Board also presented during the event, discussing the crisis in the county and how to respond. 

Wasden said the afternoon was the biggest part of the day, due to a panel discussion with local leaders. In the discussion, they had an open conversation about what is working, what’s not working and what can be done to work together on mental health issues. 

This is the first year the organization hosted the summit and Wasden said it was a way to kick off their campaign to get their name out in the community. 

“It being Mental Health Awareness Month we were like this is just a great place to go ahead and jump in and get out there,” she said.

According to Wasden, since the COVID-19 pandemic, one out of every five Americans has a mental health condition. She said many are diagnosed based on physical symptoms or having a down day. However, when a condition hinders a person’s ability to live their lives, love one another or obey the law, then it is worth diagnosing. 

In local schools, there has been an influx of kids missing school due to being sick, which is physically affecting them, according to Wasden. 

“Hopefully our campaign is that we get people to recognize is mental health is a public health problem,” she said.

During Lumsden’s presentation, she said suicide accounted for the loss of 45,979 lives in America in 2020. She notes it is twice the number of homicides. 

Lumsden said people spend a lot of time talking about violent crime and how to reduce or address it in the community. However, twice the number of people are dying at their own hands, according to Lumsden. 

In 2023, 49,316 people committed suicide, said Lumsden, one death every 11 minutes. According to Lumsden, Suicide was the second leading cause of death in the country for people starting at age 10.

Wasden recommends that those struggling with their mental health know that some providers can help connect them with the right professional. She hopes her organization will spread awareness of available resources and where people can get help.

“Mental health is important because it affects everybody. Every one of us has periods of time where we have a mental health crisis or episode in our lives and it impacts us and it impacts our family,” she said. 

Lumsden said there are three overarching obstacles to effectively addressing mental health. The three obstacles are: stigma, resources and access, and encouraged attendees to take action.

“Commit to do something, educate others and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness… Let’s do something together, because mental health matters to all of us, and we can do better,” she said.

To find out more about Mental Health Matters in Middle Georgia, click here.