988 is the national 3-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. (Photo from Massachusetts Division of Public Wellness)

May possibly is National Mental Wellness Awareness month which is a stark reminder that the nation and our state faces an alarming mental well being crisis affecting males, girls and young children.

This week, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who represents a massive component of Billerica, filed a resolution in Congress that calls focus to this crisis which impacts the physical, emotional and wellbeing of households, good friends and communities. It is estimated that far more than 70 million adults and young children have a mental well being challenge, 1 out of six adults endure from depression, 110,000 men and women died final year of drug overdoses and the U.S. surgeon basic just announced that loneliness is now a severe mental well being crisis. In Massachusetts, it is estimated that far more than 55% of residents are experiencing behavioral well being challenges. Sadly, mental well being providers in Massachusetts are not capable to retain up with the severe development of these in need to have of support.

Behavioral therapists are experiencing burnout from treating an overwhelming quantity of current individuals looking for urgent care which prevents new individuals from getting prompt therapy, oftentimes resulting in weeks — if not months — for an appointment.

Regional hospital emergency departments are seeing an enhance in mental well being individuals needing quick help due to acute psychiatric episodes. As well generally these individuals, young and old, are forced to wait in the ER for extended periods of time prior to they are transferred to an proper care setting.

Mental well being authorities think social media and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated feelings of sadness, anger, and drug and alcohol abuse, which has led to a severe emotional crisis of violence, suicide, harming oneself or other people. As a outcome, municipal and suburban police departments are seeing a dramatic enhance in 911 calls requesting urgent help for somebody experiencing an acute mental well being trouble. A single suburban police division close to Boston reports that final year, 50-60% of 911 calls requested officer help for residents struggling with behavioral well being and substance abuse complications.

Police officers are the very first to acknowledge that even even though they get some mental well being crisis instruction in the police academy and as component of their inservice education, they are not the very best equipped to properly deal with men and women in mental distress.

It is gratifying to know that a developing quantity of police departments in Massachusetts, which includes Lowell, are now collaborating and partnering with mental well being clinicians who will accompany officers responding to a get in touch with for behavioral help. In my personal town of Billerica, with a population of 45,000, Police Chief Roy Frost is extremely proud of getting a mental well being clinician out there to accompany officers when they get a get in touch with for support.

Frost, who enters his second year as police chief, understands that mental well being and substance abuse are extremely vital neighborhood, high-quality of life and public security challenges. By getting a hugely educated mental well being clinician partnering with his officers, the extremely very best level of urgent care is getting rendered to these in need to have.

The Billerica system is component of a inventive and revolutionary collaborative of police departments in Tewksbury, Chelmsford, Tyngsboro and Dracut and is funded by grants from the state Division of Mental Wellness.

As the mental well being crisis continues to escalate in our area and state, it is incumbent on Gov. Maura Healey and the legislature to seriously take into account enhanced funding to the Division of Mental Wellness so the agency can present even higher monetary help to police agencies and neighborhood primarily based mental well being providers as a way of making far more applications and solutions that address this extremely severe trouble.

Billerica’s Rick Pozniak served as a well being care communications and government affairs executive and communications counsel to the Mass. Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Wellness made throughout the Dukakis administration.