There is a conversation to be had about mental health that hasn’t happened yet. Not anywhere in all the earth has it happened to any degree of merit because the person that needs to have it, has yet to have had it. That which could be said to assuage the tyranny of the inner workings of the soul could be written in a book or on a billboard, but its effect is entirely wasted.

Surrounded by a crowd or standing alone under a lone streetlight, a person is an eternity away from everyone who they cannot relate to, and sometimes that isn’t very many people at all. Over the years in the United States, there have been attempts to help people's mental health situations, and for some, it may have worked – but it is still a growing affliction in Nebraska, where our Department of Health and Human Services reports an upwards trend of suicides here since 2021.

While chasing answers, I was fortunate to be able to interview the Executive Director of Nebraska’s branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, James Michael Bowers – a personable, approachable man who held a kind smile and a strange enthusiasm. When he was asked about what separates NAMI from other mental-health non-profits, excitedly he spoke about how NAMI is group and peer-driven. There isn’t a focus on therapists and psychologists, but instead people from within the community who have survived their own internal struggles. Those people take short courses from NAMI, and then they are connected to others with whom they can relate.

On that internal island, who better to beckon the hopeless across their own darkness than someone who had done so themselves previously? Someone who isn’t paid by insurance to sit and listen, but who is there wholly and earnestly – for you.

James went on to say that it is his goal for NAMI to expand across the state to reach as many people as possible, and with more people, it would be possible to have more tailored support groups so that the efficacy and impact are increased. “There is no need for you to have any sort of academic background to help out with NAMI,” he stated happily, “Anyone who has struggled and wants to help others can."

The Executive Director’s face seemed to lose just a little bit of his energy when I asked him what the heaviest responsibility of his role was, and he admitted that he was "Burdened by not growing fast enough" and that "the organization might miss a suicide." Then, in a slowly rising passion, he grew more animated with a tear falling out of his eye and added, “People live different, worse lives than what they deserve.”

The United States Census Bureau says just over ten percent of Nebraskans live in poverty, and from NAMI’s website they state a little over a million people do not have adequate mental-health resources, which is at least half the population of the state. As per the University of Nebraska, at least one in five Nebraskans have some sort of mental health disorder – and that is a pre-pandemic statistic. The pandemic: where children spent years doing schooling at home and getting less time to socialize with peers than perhaps any other generation in American history.

Mental health issues by number become incredibly daunting when wondering how many therapists would be needed to solve this very real crisis. One per every five people? One per ten? That's two hundred thousand Nebraskans we would need to send to school. With how complex brains are and how little time society spends trying to teach children how to handle the supercomputer that is inside their heads, is it unreasonable to imagine that the mind can oppress the self?

NAMI Nebraska’s approach to helping others by using members of the community solves the logistical issue of mental health. If community members help and guide others, then it does seem possible to aid that many people.

When asked what drives him, James replied with a serious nod,

“I dislike stigmatizing.”

It was easy to see his point – growing up I saw firsthand how people made fun of those who had mental issues or even shunned those who openly admitted they had problems. There has always been a stigma around the internal struggles of people:

“Just smile more." Someone might say as if that would change the soundless roaring of one’s mind or the anchor in their laden heart. I couldn't agree more: if at least one in five Nebraskans have a mental health issue, it is probably time to be past the stigmas regarding it, for the sake of Nebraska’s future. From NAMI’s website, they provide data that says “high school students who are depressed are twice as likely to drop out than their peers”, and “seven out of ten youth in the juvenile Justice system have a mental health condition.”

If Nebraska could help youth when they need it, perhaps then there would be less of a strain on Nebraska’s justice system, both for juveniles and later adults.

In that room overlooking the crowds below, I prepared to scribble James’s next answer as I asked him,

“What would you warn your future replacement about in regard to your job?"

He paused, taken off guard. My pen hovered above my little black book as he nodded confidently in the following moment,

“I’d tell them: when you lose momentum, you lose lives.”

It was a hell of a line, but it framed his position well. I couldn’t imagine the pressure he was under: suicides are on the rise in Nebraska, and if he is able to grow the organization quickly enough maybe NAMI can help someone before it’s too late.

Then to cap the interview he was questioned about the most rewarding part of his profession. With a soft tilt of his head and a warm smile, James answered easily and quickly,

 “I like seeing (NAMI) bring hope.”

Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to me to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.