DAVENPORT, Iowa — Prior to the Coronavirus Pandemic, 1-in-5 U.S. adults said they had some sort of a mental illness. Through data obtained through the CDC and NAMI, that number is now 1-in-3 and likely higher for people in vulnerable communities like those with special needs.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is trying to break that stigma through education and community involvement. One thing that NAMI Development Manager, Christina McNamara-Schmidt says is it's important to seek help when you have symptoms. "The average delay between symptom onset and treatment is 11 years".
NAMI offers free services to clients, often given by someone who has experienced the need for help themselves. You can learn more about NAMI's programs by clicking here.
As the pandemic has progressed and people remained isolated, the long-term effects left behind on those with special needs or disabilities is a problem. According to the U.S. National Library of medicine, "Children with pre-existing mental and physical disability are at utmost risk given the current situation." when speaking about education. Parallels can be drawn across the board and seen in other ways even with adults who have mental and physical disabilities.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine also claims: "With medical care being prioritized for those affected by the pandemic along with closure of mental health clinics serves as a source of stress, anxiety, and fear. ".
So how do we take care of our mental health? Well, according to Medlineplus.gov Fitness is just one way to practice positive mental health. Something All Strong Fitness owner, Logan Anderson says has been his passion for a long time.
"In college I worked in an in-home setting. Basically helping people with special needs and one of the things that I realized was that they were very, very sedentary and did not have a lot of opportunities to get into fitness into an inclusive way".
So Anderson did something about it and opened All Strong Fitness which offers health and wellness services to anyone who needs it, but primarily focused toward those who are elderly or those with special needs. Anderson goes into organizations, and into peoples homes to offer personal training.
From the words of Christina McNamara-Schmidt with NAMI, when you have a mental illness, "It's not a character flaw, or a personality flaw, it's a disease. It's something that people can recover from".
While Logan Anderson with All Strong Fitness may focus on the fitness needs for those with special needs and the elderly, anyone is able to seek the services he offers. Learn more about the personal training by clicking here.