FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The National Alliance for Mental Illness took over the Capitol on Wednesday morning, and its members and supporters came with a very clear message.
“Never be afraid to ask for help. I would say that was the one thing that stood out to me the most,” said Keniah McCants, referring to the comments made by State Senator, Reggie Thomas during today’s program.
McCants, a student at Kentucky State University, serves as the President of Mentally Your Emotional Wellness, or Y.E.W.
“There’s a lot of people faced with silent battles. They go through a lot of different things, and they don’t know how to cope with it, or how to speak up,” McCants explained.
The mental health issue here in Kentucky and across the nation is a crisis. It’s why the Lieutenant Governor, Jacqueline Coleman and a State Supreme Court Justice were here leading the charge.
“Our commission is addressing mental health, substance abuse disorders and intellectual disorders,” said Hon. Debra Lambert of a new judicial mental health initiative.
The Deputy Chief Justice also noted that pediatric mental illness is also a big problem coming out of the pandemic.
“We may not know the extent of the damage for a long time to come,” she said of the residuals from COVID-19 restrictions, NTI and the other issues children faced during that time.
McCants and her group are dealing with present day issues on campus.
“A lot of people think that just because they don’t know what it is, that it’s not there,” McCants said, after admitting that she’s done the same thing as it pertains to her own mental health, or challenges she’s faced.
