SAN ANTONIO — Every step Valerie Carroll took on Saturday was purposeful.
“This morning I’m walking for my son. He has a mental illness,” Carroll said.
Carroll and her family are just some of the more than 200 people in San Antonio, and thousands more across the nation, who participated in the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ s walk for awareness.
“I joined NAMI to get help for dealing with my son. So we went to a family to family class and they just helped me to know that I’m not alone, and steps to take to heal him,” Carroll said.
Given the current pandemic, Carroll says mental health awareness is needed now more than ever.
“We all deal with this, even my smaller children and grandparents. We’ve all been affected by his illness."
According to NAMI, every year one in five adults experience some sort of mental illness, and one in six kids from the ages of 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder. Those numbers are expected to rise due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
Mental Health experts say that if you or a loved one is suffering from a mental illness, you should make sure you get plenty of rest, always stay in touch with friends and family, and, if needed, talk to a health professional.