Changing the game on mental health conversations, Optum makes major impacts in North Carolina and beyond

You’re not alone.

Optum Behavioral Health has set out to highlight that powerful encouragement by destigmatizing mental health conversations, taking aim at helping adults and younger generations navigate the everyday obstacles that have escalated since the global pandemic first tightened its grip on the world in 2020.

During that tumultuous timeframe, increased anxiety and depression began blanketing the U.S., with 40% of adults reporting they were struggling with mental health issues or substance abuse. Less than half received some form of treatment, and the numbers haven’t declined since then.

That data alone is eye-opening, but it’s only a portion of the more significant demographic battling poor mental health. The rapid increase has also cast a dark shadow over younger adults, negatively impacting their well-being and creating stressful environments that affect entire families.

And while a rise in such detrimental aspects of mental health in children and adolescents creates confusing or difficult paths toward solutions, there is hope and help—and no time is like the present for either.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which Optum Behavioral Health is using to emphasize the importance of getting families to start meaningful conversations. To educate yourself and others on the conditions and treatment options for mental health, such as psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy), medication, or self-care.

It’s an arduous task that remains roadblocked or brushed aside in large swaths of society, so in response, Optum has taken effective steps like “Conversation Starters” that make it easier for parents or caregivers to start those discussions and get past the common one-word answers.

So far, the momentum has been an inspirational progression, and like so much of the effort, Optum is not alone.

Collective activity has also taken shape, with recent grant announcements to improve health outcomes in several states, including North Carolina, where the United Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of UnitedHealth Group, which includes Optum and UnitedHealthcare, has funded resources through a grant to Active Minds. 

The partnership with the nonprofit organization will bring mental health curriculum to middle school students, a trailblazing implementation that will promote mental health awareness and education for young adults. 

And the philanthropic investments in North Carolina don’t stop there, as a grant partnership with East…