At the graduation of the Fresh Start 2022–2023 class, members of the Diocese of NJ Mental Health Committee present Mental Health 101: A Survey of Mental Health Issues in a Ministry Setting
In his Weekly Message for May 5, Bishop Stokes recommended the mental health presentation, saying in part:
Thursday’s presentation at Fresh Start on mental health concerns was timely. May is Mental Health Awareness month. Established by Mental Health America, Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in the United States since 1949.[2] Yesterday’s Fresh Start participants were provided with an information sheet that included some statistics about mental health in the United States. Among the facts provided:
- Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States—43.8 million people, or 18.5 percent of the adult population—experiences mental illness in a given year.
- Approximately 1 in 20 adults in the U.S.—14.2 million people, or 5.6 percent of the population—experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
- Only 41% of adults in the United States with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. Among adults with a serious mental illness, 62.9% received mental health services in the past 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
