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1530 N. Limestone Street
Gaffney, SC
29340
864.487.4271
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Hospital to Host Mental Health Awareness Seminar
Prepared by:
Steve Wong
Upstate Carolina Medical Center
Marketing
Phone 864-487-1515
Upstate Carolina Medical Center will present a free community seminar—HealthTalk—on Mental Health Awareness, Thursday, May 24, 6-7 p.m. in the hospital’s cafeteria. The guest speakers will be Dewitt Clyde, Chairman of the Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center, and psychotherapist Dr. Richard Harrison, D.MIN. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month.
According to the National Mental Health Association…
- More than 54 million Americans have a mental disorder in any given year, although fewer than 8 million seek treatment.
- Depression and anxiety disorders—the two most common mental illnesses—each affect 19 million American adults annually.
- Approximately 12 million women in the United States experience depression every year—roughly twice the rate of men.
- One percent of the population (more than 2.5 million Americans) has schizophrenia.
- Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, affects more than 2 million Americans.
- Each year, eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa affect millions of Americans, 85-90 percent of whom are teens and young adult women.
- Depression greatly increases the risk of developing heart disease. People with depression are four times more likely to have a heart attack than those with no history of depression.
- Approximately 15 percent of all adults who have a mental illness in any given year also experience a co-occurring substance abuse disorder, which complicates treatment.
- Up to one-half of all visits to primary care physicians are due to conditions that are caused or exacerbated by mental or emotional problems.
"With all of the cutbacks in mental health funding in the past few years, the healthcare system is finding it increasingly difficult to meet the demand of citizens," hospital marketing director Steve Wong said. "This is a national problem that has become a state problem, and now it’s a Cherokee County problem. The mental health agencies are doing their best, but the need is exceeding the supply. We hope that by bringing more awareness to mental health that maybe some new answers can be found for some old problems."
The guest speakers will address the broad awareness of mental health issues facing the world, the nation and the local community. More specifically, Rev. Clyde will present a general overview of mental health in Cherokee County. He will be followed by Dr. Harrison, who will speak on services available to adults. The final speaker will be Sara Baker, MAMFT, who will speak on child and adolescent services. She is a graduate of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and employed with the Cherokee Mental Health and Counseling Center in the child and adolescent department.
Dr. Harrison is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister and a licensed counselor, with more then 30 years of experience. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Religion, Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, and Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare.
Rev. Clyde is a retired ordained minister, the executive director of the Cherokee County Literacy Association, and the lead chaplain at Upstate Carolina Medical Center.
Upstate Carolina’s HealthTalks (community seminars) are monthly and always free to the public. The seminars are presented by local healthcare professionals, who speak on a wide range of topics.
A light meal will be served. Seating is limited. To register, please call in advance… 487-4271.
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