My name is Angelica Leyva and I am a first generation, Hispanic college graduate. I am currently in graduate school at Grand Canyon University, pursuing a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling. My goal is to become a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the State of California. Currently, I am a Behavioral Health Specialist II, also known as a “case manager” at the County of Riverside Jail. Working with incarcerated persons who also struggle with a severe mental illness has been nothing but a wake up call as to the severity of the current mental health crisis. Previously to working with this population, I worked as a Primary Counselor at an IMD, a locked psychiatric hospital. Between punches and forced medication, I worked with an interdisciplinary team to monitor and adjust treatment for patients. I was able to encounter first-hand the potential medication treatment can have on one’s mental health. I’ve seen patients pace incessantly, responding to internal stimuli, and with poor ADLs. His family, disconnected. I always wondered why. Perhaps the parents didn’t understand the illness or simply they had no patience to work with the team. Some patients had a history of substance abuse, while others did not. Yet, both presented with severe forms of schizophrenia and bipolar. Interestingly enough, it was incredible seeing the behaviors exhibitors by each patient at the hospital. 99% of the patients at that IMD were on LPS conservatorship. At the jail, I know of 2 incarcerated persons. Some were force medicated while others weren’t. That is where I learned about the difference in the power within each county to enforce mental health treatment against someone’s will. While counties like Yuba, Sonoma, and Santa Barbara, allowed forced medication, Riverside County manages to have a mental health crisis that’s consuming the city, but forced medications are not granted. It’s one thing to consume drugs but it’s another to not be aware of why one is consuming the substances, resulting in costly amounts of resources within our communities. From Narcan, ambulances, and firefighters, community resources are scarce and costly. What is more striking is the loss of community union, with businesses closing and streets crowding with crime. When mental health is the subject of the matter, sighs and groans leave the mouths of many law enforcement officials. Perhaps further understanding and knowledge about mental illness can empower them to learn additional tactics to work with the mentally I’ll population with a more human approach. Mental illness brings forth additional needs within our communities. I have learned that there will never be enough staffing to address the demands of mental health services, making this a considerable crisis. From medication to housing to transportation, if a piece of the puzzle is missing, the struggles persist.the current mental health crisis is empowering us to learn about the current status of our communities and to understand that action is needed and the action is needed now. I have learned that if you do not have transportation, you will more likely have to return to jail because you won’t be able to make it to probation within 2 days, despite having had housing provided upon release. It’s an endless cycle of lack of resources. It’s an endless cycle of misappropriated funding. The other day I saw a brand new, off the lot, Jeep and wondered what wonders the money, that was used to pay for that vehicle, would do to the additional resources we could provide. Each day, I am inspired to go to work and hope to have someone ask for housing assistance upon release. Each day, I am eager to transport a newly released consumer to a sober living, where they won’t have to endure the burning rays of the sun or the soaking grounds of the alley. When we don’t take care of our mental health, we raise children that feel unloved, unwelcome, a burden, angry, sad, hurt, discouraged. Those are the same children that grow up wanting to fit in, even of those people are using drugs. Those are the same children that grow up staying in abusive relationships because we couldn’t and didn’t teach them to walk away from what hurts us. Those are the same children that grow up never loving themselves, therefore running to every man or every woman, sometimes repetitively to gain that approval and other-worth. These are the same children that grow up and use heroin to quiet the visions and the intense flashbacks of the abuse, not realizing that there is help. Which is why outreach is crucial. When resources reach out communities, welcoming with warmth and understanding can help someone view themselves as human. In order to be able to be welcoming and understanding with someone struggling with a mental illness is challenging. This is why I believe education and training can continue aiding our mental health professionals’ own well-being. Mental Health happens with everyone. When the conversation of treatment is had, more people will be needing to understand what a mental illness is. Interestingly today, a male deputy called a consumer, currently on a 5150 hold, “crazy.” I explained to him that this consumer responds to internal stimuli. At that moment, a female deputy stated, “well back in my day, we cal them crazy.” What fascinates me is that there is a human behind that mental illness that many struggle to see. This was someone’s daughter, sister, aunt, friend. But because she endured trauma and decided to cope by using substances, she has developed a mental illness that has made her behavior so problematic that she has to be incarcerated and isolated from the rest. Perhaps she is ill, just definitely not crazy. There are times when throwing in the towel is best. The mental health crisis is as pervasive and disruptive as the fentanyl epidemic. With incarcerated persons dying at an alarming rate in jails country wide, it is easy to find evidence of the presence of fentanyl. Finding the evidence and explaining that evidence to someone ignorant about mental health would be equivalent to talking to a wall. Our country needs to be aware of the crisis mental health has become. From broken families and crime ridden communities to a nuclear family living within a gated community, mental illness has no requirements. The mental health crisis continues to be battled by psychiatrist, therapists, community clinics, and more. Knowledge is power. Stigma is kryptonite. Stigma, negative false beliefs about a specific matter, causes people to avoid that matter, in this case mental health. Are you struggling with depression? Drink a tea and take a shower. Are you sad all of the time? Just be happy. Do you talk to yourself or do you respond to an internal voice? Oh they’re crazy. Stay away. Saddening is a world we’re the innocent are punished with mental agony and at times physical pain. By expanding my educational knowledge, I apply myself and am of service to those in my community. The services I currently provide are to those that are currently incarcerated and struggling with a severe mental illness. Unbeknownst to them, I too struggle with my mental health. Coming from a single-parent household, victim of domestic violence by a raging alcoholic, I have learned to be in survival mode my entire life. Until now, I have lived, in this world, consumed by my anxiety and depression. I understand the importance of mental health far too personally. Being of service to others motivates me to keep fighting my anxiety and my depression, to wake up, go to work, and not sleep for 20 hours a day. Being of service to others encourages me, knowing I can be there for someone, like how I wish someone was there for me. My career started as a substance abuse counselor, consumed with understanding why my father would rather get drunk and be violent, than be a good father. This journey has turned into me learning about how that trauma has affected me emotionally, mentally, and physically. The more my education expands, the more I learn, the more I can give back to my community. Whether by learning how to understand them better, to learning how to communicate with them better. This scholarship would allow me to continue doing just that, and more. Personally, i wish my family had acknowledged their mental health. Perhaps that would saved me from the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse endured. Perhaps I would have had a chance to thrive, but instead am filled with anxiety, depression and PTSD. Maintaining a positive mindset is a challenge but not an impossible decision. My own mental health journey motivates me to learn how to navigate mental illness with a human touch.