By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
One in five adults in the United States will experience a mental disorder in any given year.
That's just one of the statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Illness shared by Hays Mayor Sandy Jacobs during a recent ceremony declaring May as Mental Health Awareness Month in Hays.
Jacobs signed the proclamation coinciding with the national awareness month.
She also mentioned the importance of public education and civic activities in encouraging mental health awareness.
Serious mental illnesses such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia affect one in 17 American adults. About half of chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14.
The proclamation was given to High Plains Mental Health Center, represented by David Anderson, director of clinical programs, and Kaley Conner, coordinator of marketing, prevention
The center is headquartered in Hays and serves 20 northwest Kansas counties.
High Plains recently expanded its psychiatry telehealth services.