By Brad Story, CEO of the West Virginia Behavioral Healthcare Providers Association
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to remind ourselves of something deeply important: every person we meet may be carrying burdens we cannot see.
In West Virginia, we understand hardship. But more importantly, we understand resilience, too. Our communities have weathered economic uncertainty, addiction, loss, natural disasters, and personal struggles that would test anyone’s spirit. Yet through it all, one thing has always defined West Virginians: when times get hard, we show up for each other.
Mental health deserves that same sense of shared responsibility and compassion.
We are living in a time when the world can feel tense, divided, and overwhelming.
Social media amplifies anger. Headlines bring stress. Many people feel isolated, anxious, exhausted, or simply unseen. Behind closed doors, countless families are quietly struggling with depression, substance use, trauma, grief, or loneliness.
Mental health challenges do not discriminate. They affect people in every town, social class, school, workplace, and family.
The statistics are sobering. 1 in 5 adults in America experienced mental illness in the past year. 1 in 20 adults experienced a serious mental illness. Among the youth, 1 in 5 young people have a mental health condition, with anxiety being the most common.
Nearly 35 percent of mental illness emerges by age 14, and almost two-thirds appears by age 25. Most alarming of all, in 2023, 20 percent of high school students in the United States seriously considered suicide.
At the same time, nearly 30 million Americans still lack access to affordable, comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment.
These numbers are not just statistics. They represent our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, our veterans, our parents, and our children.
At the West Virginia Behavioral Healthcare Providers Association, our nearly 40 member organizations see every day the impact mental health and substance use challenges can have on families and communities. Covering all 55 counties, our providers large and small are working tirelessly to care for West Virginians through counseling, recovery services, crisis support, and compassionate treatment.
In 2025, our providers served nearly 100,000 adults and more than 24,000 children.
Their counselors, therapists, recovery specialists, and frontline staff are helping people heal, supporting families in crisis, and bringing hope to our communities across our state.
But we also know recovery is real. Hope is real. Healing is possible when people are supported, connected, and treated with compassion instead of judgment.
That is why Mental Health Awareness Month matters. It’s not simply about awareness campaigns or wearing a certain color ribbon. It’s about creating a culture where people feel safe asking for help and where checking in on someone should be second nature.
Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simple: make the call, send the text, ask the question, or just sit quietly beside someone who needs support.
For our young people especially, connection matters. Many teenagers and young adults today face pressures previous generations never experienced — constant digital comparison, social isolation, uncertainty about the future, and growing anxiety. Adults must help create environments where young people know it’s okay to talk openly about mental health and where seeking help is viewed as a strength, not a weakness.
No one should have to struggle alone.
This month, I encourage every West Virginian to check in on a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor. Be patient with one another. Listen more closely. Extend grace.
Support local mental health and recovery services. And if you are struggling yourself, know this: asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but an act of courage.
Mental health is health. And caring for each other is still one of the greatest strengths West Virginia has ever known.
