Dayton Daily News: Mental health is a community problem, panelists say at Wright State event

The five-member panel of a Mental Health Matters event at Wright State University told the nearly 300-person crowd that the mental health problems in the area urgently need to be addressed during the event Tuesday.

The panel raised four main points during the discussion:

• Mental health challenges are hitting every aspect of our society, from kids in elementary school to our oldest citizens, and having an impact on our economy.
• Breaking the stigma of having mental health and addiction issues can help us at least discuss the problem.
• Connecting people to each other helps prevent mental health problems, and prevention is key to working against the crisis.
• The pandemic was a tipping point in the mental health crisis. While the region has made strides in the conversations had around mental health, mental health itself remains a problem.

Panelists included Crystal Allen, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dayton; Tristyn Ball, director of prevention and early intervention at the Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board; Kelly Blankenship, associate chief medical officer of behavioral health at Dayton Children’s Hospital; Barbara Marsh, director of counseling and wellness at Wright State University; and Greta Mayer, CEO of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Clark, Greene and Madison Counties.

The event was sponsored by the Dayton Daily News, Wright State University and the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association. It is part of a series that the Dayton Daily News is working on looking at the state of mental health in the area.

Sue Edwards, Wright State University president, said mental health has become a key part of the work she is doing at Wright State.

“Hopefully tonight, this is going to be an educational opportunity, and it’s going to be a great dialogue,” Edwards said to those who came. “And I just want to thank you for putting mental health first and foremost.”

Read the complete article at daytondailynews.com or watch the panel discussion on the Dayton Daily News’ Facebook page.