Mayo Clinic Health System — Albert Lea and Austin would like to remind people May is Mental Health Month and this year’s theme is “Pathways to Wellness,” focusing on strategies and approaches to help all Americans achieve wellness and good mental and overall health.

“Wellness is essential to living a full and productive life,” said Pierre Rioux, M.D., psychiatrist and medical director of the Psychiatric Service Unit at Mayo Clinic. “We may have different ideas about what wellness means, but it involves a set of skills and strategies to prevent the onset or shorten the duration of illness and promote recovery and well-being. It’s about keeping healthy as well as getting healthy.”

The Local Advisory Council in Mower County is a team made up of individuals with mental health concerns, members from the general public, along with mental health professionals in the Austin area. The council meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Bridge at 3:30 p.m. to discuss needs and concerns for mental health care in the community, and report information about mental health issues from the county to the state of Minnesota. The Bridge is a community social support place for people recovering from mental illness. It was created by the Local Advisory Council 12 years ago and tends to the needs of those who require mental health support.

The Local Advisory Council has organized a May Mental Health Walk for a number of years, and this year’s Mental Health Walk will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, May 24. The walk is open to the public and starts at Austin Manor, 510 23 St. NW, stops at Cedar Valley Services and Mayo Clinic Health System, and ends at the Bridge. A presentation and meal will be held following the walk at 11 a.m. at The Bridge.

Regular mental health check-ups help a patient evaluate his or her well-being.

Rioux said it’s a good idea to take periodic stock of emotional well-being, just as someone would check his or her blood pressure and get cancer screenings.

“One recent study said everyone should get their mental health checked as often as they get a physical, and many doctors routinely screen for mental health, which typically includes a series of questions about lifestyle, eating and drinking habits and mental wellness,” Rioux said. “While mental conditions like depression are common — roughly one in five Americans have a mental health condition according to Mental Health America — they are treatable.”

To schedule a mental health appointment, contact Psychiatry and Psychology in Austin at 507-433-7389.