Mental health is a continuum, and all of us move back and forth from relative peace to various levels of dis-ease throughout our lives. While the majority of us may not struggle with serious mental illness, we all know the depths of emotional pain, and it should give us a common place to begin discussing how important mental health is for everyone.

Everyone at some point in life will face a mental or behavioral health issue, whether through personal experience or through knowing someone who is struggling. So why does mental and behavioral health continue to be a topic no one wants to discuss? Shame and stigma only compound the issue. What change will come from ignoring a growing crisis?