Welcome to CONNECT. We invite you to view the calendar of events for our third annual May Mental Health Awareness Month 2018. More information on each event can be found at our calendar events here: https://connectsummitcounty.org/calendar-events-2.
We look forward to seeing you in May!
OUR MISSION: To create a well-informed and stigma-free community with access to mental health services for all.
Mental Health Resource Directory
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Who We Are
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Get Involved
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Calendar of Events
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If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please call the UNI CrisisLine: 801-587-3000.
Mental health care is a right, not a privilege, no matter how you look, dress, live, or act.
CONNECT is a grassroots, non-profit community advocacy organization bringing together Summit County residents who are loved ones, friends, and colleagues of people struggling with mental health challenges. We are also mental health service providers in Summit County. And, we are people not directly affected by mental illness who nonetheless recognize the serious challenges and want to help. Many of us have watched, frustrated and helpless, as our loved ones flounder through a confusing, complicated, inadequate treatment system. CONNECT believes that mental health is a community concern and not solely an individual responsibility. Coming together we can more effectively raise our voices against the stigma and isolation of mental illness and advocate for more comprehensive and accessible mental health services throughout Summit County.
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CONNECT had an exceptional year during 2017.
We want to share those accomplishments with you.
Please click here to read CONNECT Summit County’s Second Year Report 2017.
Recognize the Warning Signs of Mental Illness
- Excessive worrying or fear (anxiety)
- Feeling excessively sad or low (depression)
- Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
- Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
- Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
- Avoiding friends and social activities
- Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
- Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
- Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger, binge eating, or lack of appetite
- Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t exist in objective reality)
- Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
- Thinking about suicide
How Are You Feeling? The Utah Department of Human Services offers an anonymous mental health screening tool that can be performed online to determine if you or someone you care about may need to reach out to a doctor or mental health professional for an evaluation. Please Click this Link to Begin a Screening.
What is Depression? Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world; in the United States, close to 10% of adults struggle with the disease. But because it’s a mental illness, it can be a lot harder to understand than, say, high cholesterol. Helen M. Farrell examines the symptoms and treatments of depression, and gives some tips for how you might help a friend who is suffering: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-depression-helen-m-farrell.
If you think your child is going through emotional or behavioral issues, Mental Health America has an online screen that parents can take to see if their child is at risk for a variety of mental health disorders at: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screening-tools
Emotional Wellness is just as Important as Physical Wellness. If you’re feeling suicidal, please talk to somebody. You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Utah Suicide Hotline 24 hours / 7 days (801) 261-1442. If you don’t like the phone, check out Lifeline Crisis Chat or Crisis Text Line. If you’re a suicide attempt survivor and would like to share your story, take a look at Live Through This.
Recent Articles and Blog Postings
CDC Investigation identifies 141% Increase in Utah Youth Suicide Rate During 2010-2015
The Utah Department of Health observed a 141.3% increase in the youth suicide rate from 2011 to 2 [...]
Slides Available! “Communicating and Connecting with your Teen in the Age of Smartphones and Social Media”
CONNECT wishes to thank all who attended our March 2018 cross-community programming, "Communicating [...]
Slides Available! Dr. Robert Post Park City Lecture: “Childhood Bipolar Disorder: Are We Over-Diagnosing Or Under-Diagnosing Our Kids?”
Did you know that childhood bipolar disorder is more prevalent in the US than in Europe? Did you kno [...]
“At the root of this dilemma is the way we view mental health in this country. Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction.”
“For too long we have been embarrassed to admit when our children need emotional or psychiatric help, worried that the stigma associated with these problems would be detrimental to their futures. The mental health of our children must be seen as every bit as important as their physical health.”
“In 1990, I had the idea to begin screening for depression much like my colleagues in the medical field were screening for physical diseases like cancer and diabetes. It’s important that we screen for mental illness because it allows us to identify these illnesses early on—making treatment more effective.”
“Never give up on someone with a Mental Illness. When “I” is replaced by “We”, Illness becomes Wellness.”
“Kids who suffer from mental health disorders … inevitably miss out on opportunities for learning and building relationships.”
“Chance Favors the Connected Mind”
“It is difficult to negotiate the mental health system, even as a psychiatrist; yet we expect people burdened by severe mental symptoms to find their way in a poorly organized system with many gaps in service.”
“I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you.” —December 2000, in an interview Diane Sawyer on ABC PrimeTime
