LANCASTER – The holidays can be stressful.
It’s so stressful that the media often focuses on the holiday season as a time when suicides increase.
A article from Psychology today reported that the idea that people are more likely to commit suicide at Christmas time is false. The magazine explains that suicides peak in spring, not winter.
The publication argues that spring is likely more common because “the rebirth of spring heightens feelings of hopelessness” among people with mental health problems.
However, for those suffering from mental health, the time of year doesn’t matter. And it’s certainly a fact that people become melancholic during the holiday season, often due to family stress and other mental health issues.
The City of Lancaster cares about its residents and offers specific tools to help those seeking assistance during the holidays and at any time of year.
“The City of Lancaster has a team that assesses the social needs, medical needs, mental health care needs, victimization and safety factors of its residents,” said Alysia Walton, Relationship Specialist public at the Lancaster City Manager’s Office. “Our Lancaster Mobile Assessment Response Team (LMART) can help determine the most appropriate action, which is not always transport to hospital and emergency detention.”
The Lancaster Mobile Assessment Response Team (LMART) presents a mental health education series that can provide mental health knowledge to the community in a supportive and judgment-free environment. From November to March, different speakers speak and offer valuable information to residents on various topics regarding mental health.
In November, the LMART team covered Busting the myths about mental health.
On January 18, 2024, the subject Depression and anxiety in diverse cultures will be presented by the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority; On February 15, 2024, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will present Develop healthy coping skills, and on March 21, 2024, the presentation will take place Parenting a Child Through Behavioral Health Issues presented by Haven Behavioral Health.
Walton explained that the goal of these conversations is to educate the community with essential information Mental Health information and provide them with access to local mental health resources.
“The City of Lancaster takes mental health very seriously and we encourage our residents to have periodic mental health screenings; it’s just as important as a physical exam,” said Lancaster City Manager Opal Mauldin-Jones. “We have a free resource right here in our community that can conduct mental health screenings and direct those who are struggling with mental health issues to the help they need.”
Often, law enforcement officers see their share of mental health issues during calls for service, and Lancaster Police Chief Sam Urbanski said, “The officers who respond to these calls need to be ready for anything. When our dispatch receives a mental health call, they determine the appropriate action, which most of the time would be our LMART team rather than an officer.
For more information on the city’s mental health series, presentations will be held at the Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library, 1600 Veterans Memorial Parkway, from 5 to 6 p.m.
The Lancaster Mobile Assessment Response Team is also located in the Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library and is available Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
For questions about the mental health series or the LMART team, call 469-578-4786.
