Mental illness has a significant impact on a person’s self-awareness and logic. This fact alone has an incredible impact on the ability of someone to seek appropriate treatment and to have the necessary support systems in place to receive effective care. One of the more significant challenges people face when dealing with mental illness is self-care, and all of us experience this on some level. Consider a time when you may have been grieving or were faced with a significant personal challenge. You may have found yourself devoid of energy and absorbed in the challenge you were facing. Feeding your family, taking your medications, and paying the rent were no doubt some of the furthest things from your mind. Fortunately, for many of us, we have had the support systems (e.g., family, friends) to attend to those needs while we struggled.

Now imagine you are suffering from persistent and chronic mental illness such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder where denial and stigma have an incredibly debilitating effect. They struggle with keeping track of medications and are often unable to hold down a job that might help them pay for everyday living needs. Adding to the problem is a struggling economy and a significantly underfunded system that cannot always support the immediate financial crises that impact these individuals and their families.

Mental Health HEROES was created to address these kind of community challenges. Our organization exists to fill in the gaps and to offer immediate support for patients of the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center who are unable to do so on their own at this point in time. We want to ensure people receive the care and support they need.