South San Francisco, CA November 8, 2017 By SMC Supervisor David Canepa
Mental illness is an issue we must discuss in our community considering the rate of people diagnosed with a mental illness has increased rapidly. To get this conversation started, my office is hosting a Mental Health Awareness Poetry Slam to be held at the Philz coffee in Westborough Square.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 43.8 million adults in the United States had experienced mental illness in a given year. While suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth ages 10-24 and 90 percent of youth who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness yet there are many cases that have gone unnoticed.
As a community, it is our duty to prevent and help others who may show signs of mental illness. It is crucial that we start a conversation about mental health with our friends and family because someone in our own circles might be undergoing desolation. The poetry slam is an opportunity to acknowledge mental health among youth and adults through the arts. Everyone undergoes a moment of distress in their lives and this event informs the community that we stand together in treating and battling mental illness.
The poetry slam is 6:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 17, Westborough Square, 2248 Westborough Blvd., suite 603, South San Francisco. I can’t wait to see you there.
