NAMI El Paso to give out mental health coloring book for kids
EL PASO, Texas -- Something as simple as picking up a crayon and coloring for a few minutes can make a big difference.
That's the message from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, that's come up with a new way to help children open up about their mental health.
The local affiliate, NAMI El Paso, has been distributing the "Meet Little Monster" coloring book to schools across the Borderland just in time for National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.
The book is meant to be a fun tool for kids to learn about different feelings with the intention of getting them to be able to open up to a parent or teacher.
"We know that the pandemic has had such a huge impact on our mental health collectively, but right now we're seeing a huge impact among our youth," said Executive Director of NAMI El Paso, Isidro Torres. "We're (putting) a lot to focus on our youth, help them, help their parents or families understand mental health, so that they can can figure it out, get the help they need and hopefully we as soon as we move towards out of this pandemic, we can get them in a better place."
Torres went on to say schools have requested their assistance to address some of the mental health impacts brought on by the pandemic. This comes just months after the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory on mental health, calling it a youth mental health crisis.
"The earlier (kids) are able to express their symptoms, the earlier they'll get help, and the better the turnout will be," Torres said. "Right now, the average delay between symptoms and someone getting help is eight to 10 years and so much can happen between that time."
The books will be handed out to kids on Friday. If you're an educator you can still request copies through NAMI El Paso.
The book is also available for download in English and in Spanish.
To learn more about NAMI El Paso, click here. For a complete list of events happening across the county during Mental Health Awareness Month, click here.
