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Mental Health Facts
Mental Health Facts
More than 50 million Americans struggle with mental illness.(1)
Common signs of mental health issues include: extreme mood swings, changes in eating habits, excessive worrying or fear, problems concentrating, and avoiding friends or social activities.(2)
Mental illnesses can affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functioning.(3)
Many factors contribute to the development of a mental health condition, including life experiences (such as trauma or a history of abuse), biological factors, and family history of mental illness.(4)
Most Americans lack access to adequate mental health treatment. 54.7% of American adults with mental illness did not receive care in the last year. (5)
More than 1 in 4 adults living with serious mental illnesses also struggles with substance abuse.(6)
Ways to Reach Out
Ways to Reach Out
We are wired for connection. That is true for what is inside as well as what happens outside. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a listing of what humans need to survive, posits that besides food, water, and safety, humans need love and belonging. This includes interpersonal relationships, intimacy, and connection to others. When we meet these needs, we improve our overall well-being and we become more fulfilled and satisfied.
In 2021, a World Happiness Report (7) found that people who participate in more connectedness with others experience:
Greater satisfaction with life
More resilience
Better mental health
A strong support system and having people around you to whom you are connected helps with overcoming everyday challenges and will more easily allow you to maintain a state of mental well-being. Connecting with others will decrease your health risk and benefit the person to whom you are connected, not only mentally but physically as well. It has been shown that strong social connections strengthen the immune system and can increase life expectancy by up to 50%. (8)
Employee Assistance Program
Employee Assistance Program
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is provided through Aetna Resources for Living and is designed to help you resolve concerns or issues affecting your life. Our EAP focuses on a broad range of issues, such as emotional well-being support, legal and financial services, online wellness resources, and daily life assistance, such as finding child or elder care, a discount center, and more.
EAP services are offered in-person and virtually and are available at no cost to MCCCD employees. EAP benefits are available to all full-time benefit-eligible MCCCD employees (even if you did not elect medical benefits), their dependents up to age 26, even if they live out of the home, and anyone in the employee's household (regardless of their relationship, age, or health insurance coverage). For example, roommates or those who live with and care for an elderly family member are also eligible for services.
Please contact wellness.maricopa@domail.maricopa.edu for more information or if you have additional questions.
Behavioral Health Care Through the MCCCD Medical Plan
Behavioral Health Care Through the MCCCD Medical Plan
If you need additional time or treatment beyond what our EAP can provide, our behavioral health benefit offers mental health resources when a more long-term relationship with a provider needs to be established.
These services include concerns around
Emotional health
Substance misuse
Depression
Anxiety
And more.
Take a look at your 2026 Aetna Medical Plan ID card for more information about behavioral health services. Also, view your explanation of the benefits for behavioral health alongside your medical EOB.
Please take a look at the adjacent PDF for more information or reach out to rx.maricopa@domail.maricopa.edu if you have additional questions.
When to use EAP or Behavoral Health Benefit.pdfOther Mental Health Resources
Other Mental Health Resources
COMM_ALL_evergreen_4Steps_Poster_230406.pdf
References
References
1. Mental Health America: Adult Data 2022. Accessed May 15th, 2023.
2. "Know the Warning Signs." National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2018. Accessed May 15th, 2023.
3. "What is Mental Health?" U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018. Accessed May 15th, 2023.
4 "Mental Health Myths and Facts." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017
5. "State of Mental Health in America 2023," Mental Health America, 2023. Accessed May 15th, 2023.
6. "Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2019. Accessed May 15th, 2023.
7. Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, April 29). World happiness report. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report. Accessed May 15th, 2023.
8. Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). Social connection boosts health, even when you’re isolated. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-it/202003/social-connection-boosts-health-even-when-youre-isolated.Accessed May 15th, 2023.
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