SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. – “It’s hard when you’re dealing with mental illness to feel that you’re all by yourself. We want everyone to know that there are other people out there and there are some support and help,” said Gretchen Potter with the National Alliance on Mental Health in San Juan County.

Help for people in San Juan County who are dealing with mental illness. 

According to a recent study by the Community Health Needs Assessment, nearly 26% of people reported fair to poor on their mental health, compared to 14% from 10 years ago. 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 300,000 adults in New Mexico had a mental health condition in 2021. 

There are support groups out there for people struggling.

“It’s led by a person who had a family member suffering or struggling with mental illness, and they provide support for the family member. Also, we have a connections group for peers, so people with mental illness can help each other with mental illness,” said Potter. 

She also stressed that taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health. 

Even if a person isn’t dealing with mental health issues, more people need to become aware of it. 

“Our brain is another organ in our body, we don’t make fun of people for going to the doctor for physical health issues, so why do we need to make fun of people with mental heal issues,” said Potter. 

San Juan County officials want to help. They are currently conducting surveys and gathering analysis for a possible crisis triage center in the future for those in need.

For more information, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness website.