Closing the Gap: Mental Health Awareness [Video]

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mental illness is no laughing matter, nor is it something people should neglect.

Just ask Windy Bailey. She’s with the Department of Mental Health.

She and her team have been working to erase the stigma and promote mental wellness.

“Sometimes people look at someone who’s having a mental health condition as a weakness or something that they can control or they should just get over it,” she said.

Mental illness is a health condition that causes changes in a person’s thinking, mood, or behavior. In fact, 1 in 5 adults live with a mental illness.

It is more common than cancer and heart disease combined. and it can affect anyone.

Here in the Magnolia State, 431,000 adults have a mental health condition. That’s more than 9 times the population of Biloxi.

“Something that we all have in common is our mental health,” she said. “That’s why …