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The City of Eureka is kicking off Mental Health Awareness Month this Sunday with a community town hall at the Wharfinger Building, where local professionals and people with lived experience will discuss some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding mental illness. 

The event, hosted in partnership with the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), will feature two panel discussions and keynote speaker Joseph Reid, the founder and executive director of Broken People, an organization providing peer support for people struggling mental health challenges. In his book, “Broken Like Me,” Reid details his experience living with mental illness and coping with the “brokenness” that comes with it.

“[Reid] is really trying to talk about the reality of mental illness and that people can get better,” said Jacob Rosen, managing mental health clinician for Crisis Alternative Response Eureka (CARE). “I believe he’s going to have a family member with him to also shed light on the fact that mental health symptoms don’t just affect the person that is having them, but can also affect the family members that are around that person, too. And those folks need support as well.”

The panel of speakers will also debunk common misconceptions about mental illness.

“One myth we hear a lot in our line of work at CARE is that people with mental illness are more violent than other people, and that’s just not true,” Rosen said. “When we look at the research, individuals with mental health issues are no more violent than the rest of the population. There are some risk factors for violence, such as previous acts of violence, but that can be true for someone without mental illness as well.”

Another common myth is that people living with mental health issues — especially severe mental illness — can never get better or live successful, fulfilling lives, Rosen continued. “And, across the board, that just isn’t true.”

Since it was formed in 2022, the city’s CARE team has been working with the Eureka Police Department (EPD) on a “co-response” initiative in which mental health professionals work with law enforcement in responding to calls involving mental health crises. When dispatch receives a non-violent call involving a mental health crisis, the call is forwarded to a CARE team member who will attempt to de-escalate the situation over the phone. 

“We’ll try to talk them through it, assess for safety, and then it might stop there and we won’t need to go out and see them,” Rosen explained. “If there is no history of violence with that person and the call is mental health-related, we will send a two-person team in place of an officer. … There are going to be calls where either that individual’s safety or other people’s safety is at risk, and we will need to co-respond with law enforcement to make sure everyone stays safe.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or if you just need someone to talk to, you can call the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. For local support, EPD’s non-emergency line is 707-441-4044.

The town hall will take place on Sunday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building — 1 Marina Way in Eureka. A full list of local Mental Health Awareness Month events can be found at this link.

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