May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and, to raise awareness, Beaumont Health, Easterseals Michigan and the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention have teamed-up to host a free mental health fair from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 30.
The fair will take place in the South Tower lobby at Beaumont Hospital, 3601 W. Thirteen Mile Road, Royal Oak.
The free Mental Health Fair will feature access to many leading organizations in the mental health and wellness field and information about autism, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, early intervention for children with trauma, substance use, physical fitness, pet therapy, bullying prevention, suicide prevention and domestic violence.
In addition to resources, Horses Heal Hearts will bring their therapy horses, the Shelby Township Police Department will display their mobile education unit to educate the community about the ever-evolving ways that people conceal and consume narcotics, and there will be a special panel on the opioid epidemic in the state.
The panel will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the hospital auditorium. Panelists include, mental health professionals, medical professionals and a member of law enforcement.
The mental health fair was conceived in 2014 by the nurses and doctors at Beaumont’s Psychiatric department in Royal Oak to align mental health as equal to physical health. “Most importantly, the mental health fair continues to break the stigma that prevents people from seeking help when they need it. Through public education, we reinforce the fact that illness can manifest in our brains just as it does in the rest of our body. One in four of us will experience a treatable mental illness in our lifetime,” said Dr. Rom Samarian, chief of Psychiatry at Beaumont, Royal Oak.
Space is limited, reserve a seat by visiting www.EastersealsMichigan.com.
-Submitted by Robert Ortlieb
