May is Mental Health Month and, as a time of renewal and growth, the Mayor and Council are reminding residents — especially young people — to practice self-care.
The Mayor and Council are scheduled to proclaim May as Mental Health Month at their Monday, May 2 meeting. Watch live on channel 11 on county cable, the livestream at www.rockvillemd.gov/rockville11, or a day after the meeting at www.rockvillemd.gov/videoondemand.
In their proclamation, the Mayor and Council “encourage the Rockville community to take care of [their] mental and physical health and to seek help, if needed, to adapt to significant changes, to heal from trauma, to learn coping skills for depression and anxiety, among other stressors, so that each and every person may fully participate and function in their family, school and community.”
More than 2.5 million young people in the U.S. have severe depression — multi-racial youth are at greatest risk — with one in seven young people experiencing severe depression. Sixty percent of youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment.
Many services that can help are available from the Department of Housing and Community Development. The department partners with Montgomery County Public Schools and local nonprofits to provide summer programming for children and youth, such as therapeutic recreation, mentoring, Latino youth development, mental-health counseling and assistance transitioning to middle or high school.
Find out about services from the Department of Housing and Community Development that can help at www.rockvillemd.gov/376/Youth-Family-Programs.