It's Time Our Society Takes Hard Look At Mental Health

A release from the office of State Representative Michael Day:

As I have written in this space before, and will continue to repeat in this space in the future, I am blessed to come from a large family of two brothers and four sisters, and an even larger extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. Like your own families, mine is full of individuals coping with mental health issues. In plain terms, that means my family struggles with depression, anxiety, dementia, alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders and other, as-yet undiagnosed mental health problems. Too many of my family members regularly self-medicate with alcohol, marijuana and opioids, or take prescription medications instead of seeking professional care. I share this with you again because it is important to say repeatedly that my family is not an exception to the rule when it comes to mental health. We are the rule.

For too long, we as a society have refused to recognize mental illness as something each one of us faces. For too long, we have relegated mental health to the shadows of our health care system, and have too rarely discussed it in our conversations about public health. Approximately one in five Massachusetts residents face a diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorder, not counting developmental or substance use disorders, and more than ten percent of children and adolescents in Massachusetts live with a behavioral health diagnosis. Half of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and three-quarters by the time an individual is 24 years old. However, 70 percent of the youth with diagnosed mental health issues do not receive the necessary services they require. An official from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center testified to me at a hearing on Beacon Hill a while back, our society prioritizes and treats “neck down injuries” with far more urgency and attention than we do those injuries suffered in the head.

Our community was recently shaken by a horrific tragedy when one of our brightest young minds was taken from us suddenly and violently. Deane Kenny Stryker was peacefully studying in the reading room at the Winchester Public Library as she continued on her path towards becoming a physician when she was senselessly and fatally attacked from behind.

I did not have the privilege of knowing Miss Stryker, but I mourn her passing deeply. Everyone with whom I have spoken who did know her has told me she was a caring person, someone who was active in making our community a better place and making others feel welcome. Deane was, by every single account I have heard, a compassionate leader. Now she is gone, and her absence leaves a void in our shared community.

I thank the staff and patrons of the Winchester Public Library who interceded during the attack in an attempt to prevent its continuance and further harm. I thank Lester Taber for his actions, and am thankful that the injuries he sustained during the attack were not fatal. I also thank our police and fire departments who responded immediately to the scene upon receiving reports of the attack.

I am saddened and angered by this horrific event, and am haunted by the thoughts of what could have been done to prevent it. As we continuously work towards making our communities safer, I recognize that government must do much, much more to address and improve our mental health system. I also recognize that we, as a society, must change the way we look at mental health. For decades, too many of us have passively watched as hospitals and treatment facilities were shuttered, coverage was decimated and an entire segment of public health was deprived of funding. This must change.

For the past few months my staff and I have been working with the Department of Mental Health, the Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community and many other stakeholders in our community to pull together a meaningful forum focused on mental health. We will hold this community conversation as scheduled on March 22nd at the First Congregational Church of Winchester from 6 pm to 8 pm. We believe it can be a productive gathering where we as a community have an honest dialogue about the current state of mental health care and the resources and services available to individuals and families suffering from mental illness. I hope you will join us for it.

If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis, please call the statewide Emergency Services Program anytime at (877) 382-1609.