Health is always an issue, but Thursday brought to mind an often-neglected but vitally important aspect of health. 

Thursday was World Mental Health Day and according to the World Health Organization, a suicide takes place every 40 seconds. That’s 90 people an hour of each day. This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day was “Working Together to Prevent Suicide.”

Suicide is one of the top 10 leading causes of death annually in the U.S., according to the CDC. Suicide rates are higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The gap between rural and urban suicide rates has grown since 1999 and has grown faster since 2007, the CDC says.

This is also Mental Illness Awareness Week. The Centers for Disease Control state that mental illnesses can affect a person’s thinking, mood, and behavior through such conditions as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. These conditions range from happening occasionally to being chronic.

Poor mental health and mental illness are not the same thing, the CDC advises. According to the CDC, “A person can experience poor mental health and not be diagnosed with a mental illness. Likewise, a person diagnosed with a mental illness can experience periods of physical, mental, and social well-being.”

Also, a person’s mental health can change over time. Mental health could be affected if a person faces demands and stresses that overwhelm their ability to handle those situations.

There are ways to prevent suicide but chief among them is increasing people’a access to health care and mental health care, especially in rural areas. Locally, the HEARTS for Families is working to help prevent suicides. There is help available and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities urges people with suicidal thoughts to call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at 800-715-4225 or download the MyGCAL app. Licensed clinicians are available at all hours, 365 days a year. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 is available 24/7 as well.

If you’re worried about your own mental health, don’t hesitate to mention it to your medical provider, because good mental health is part of overall health.