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“Silent Struggle” is a podcast aimed at bringing greater awareness of the mental health crisis that is afflicting our nation, our states, our cities, our colleagues, our family and friends. Statistics, and there are many, do not seem to do this crisis justice, in that they are meaningless unless we, you, I get proactive in how we are to deal with it and work towards getting the proper care.
A few statistics to jar everyone towards a hardened reality are these:
1 in 4 U.S. Adults experience mental illness each year.
1 in 20 U.S. Adults experience serious mental illness each year
1 in 6 U.S, youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14
47.2% U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2021 (meaning over half did not.)
The hosts of the podcast, retired Police Captain and former State Legislature and retired Police Chief David Magnusson will delve into the metal health issues with a wide array of expert guests. Additionally, while the focus is on the entire community as a whole, they recognize that law enforcement (and all of the first responders) are a microcosm of the communities they serve. As such these statistics are as equally jarring:
Nearly 1 in 4 police officers has thoughts of suicide at some point in their lives
The suicide rate for police officers is four times higher than the rate for firefighters
More police die by suicide than in the line of duty
Alcohol abuse is approximately double that of the general population.
Today’s First Episode of the “Silent Struggle” brought aboard Miami Police Manny Morales to discuss this most important issue. But Chief Morales brings an added caveat; one that personifies his leadership and courage. He speaks of how proactively he sees a psychologist every month as a checkup to discuss any issues he may be feeling. This self-care has enabled him to maneuver many of the proverbial minefields that may have affected I=him in personal and/or professional life.
His brave testimony should resonate with every police chief, every fire chief, every corporate head, every boss, every friend, and every family. A proactive approach to mental illness is the incredibly important if we are to get a handle on this.
And here is thing: We are going to get a handle on this and work together. It will take all of us. But here is the good news. The more we share experiences, the more we learn….and the more we learn, the better we get.
That is always the first step of a thousand-mile journey. We hope you will join us and Community Papers via Michael and Grant Miller in spreading this most important word.
