Mental health agency launches healthy holiday campaign

Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 27, 2017 -- LAS VEGAS – While generally associated with happiness and joy, the holidays can be a stressful time for many, filled with anxiety and depression. Nevada mental health agency Divine Touch, Inc. has initiated a healthy holiday campaign to raise awareness about the importance of mental health.

Healthy mind, happy life The mind controls everything

“It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to be happy during the holidays,” company owner Shineka Foy-Olivas said. “We have to raise awareness in our community about achieving and maintaining a healthy mind this holiday. Society depicts Thanksgiving as a time for reconnection to family, but being around family and friends can also cause anxiousness, nervousness and tension.”

In a survey by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64 percent of respondents said they were affected by the holiday blues and 24 percent they were affected a lot. Finding help can be challenging in Nevada – the state has a severe shortage of mental health professionals, according to the University of Nevada, Reno Health Workforce Supply in Nevada report.

To deal with holiday blues – and mental health overall – Foy-Olivas suggests the ABC approach: Acknowledge your honest emotions with someone trustworthy; Become active by doing a good deed for a friend or community service; and Celebrate the positives, (what you have, how far you’ve come). She also recommends seeking professional help when necessary.

“People aren’t always born with mental illnesses,” she said. “Often, it begins as something very manageable; but because it’s untreated, it spirals out of control.”

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44. If you or someone you know needs immediate help, call SAMHSA at (800) 662-HELP. For more information about keeping your mind healthy, log on to divinetouchinc.com or samhsa.gov.

Divine Touch Incorporated

Based in North Las Vegas, Divine Touch Inc., is a therapeutic counseling center that offers life skills services along with day treatment programs for youth and adults. Shineka Foy-Olivas holds a bachelor’s (emphasis on criminal justice, public administration) and a master’s (emphasis on special education) from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in military clinical social work from the University of Southern California.

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Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/001d26d4-916a-4083-a119-e13730c1082a

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d7e3d82-f443-47a2-985e-75030ea3b092

Sharie Johnson
PR Insiders
702-604-3091
[email protected]