Maxwell: Christmas is a magical time, yet also dark, lonely for many. You can help
Growing up in the Maxwell house, there was no more magical time than Christmas.
Dad pumped Ray Conniff songs through the house. Mom personalized Christmas cards.
And my brother, sister and I would gleefully work on gift lists and hand-deliver Mom’s baked goodie gifts to neighbors, using our red, Radio Flyer wagon. If it all sounds incredibly cliché, well, it was.
Wonderfully so. We all reunite every Christmas from our new locations in life to try to recapture that magic and recreate it for the next generation.
I know many of you expect to enjoy similar experiences this week. Also, though, many will not.
In fact, some parents won’t be scrambling tonight for last-minute gifts. Instead, they’ll frantically scramble to find help for children in danger of harming themselves.
And far too often, families struggle alone or in vain as mental health remains one of the most challenging issues this country faces. That’s especially true in Florida, which routinely ranks as one of the worst states in America for bothfundingand access toservices, meaning even families flush with resources often struggle to find help.
Florida’s neglect of mental illness is a heartless, deadly and long-running problem | Commentary “We not only have a shortage of beds, there are 22 counties in the state of Florida right now that do not have a single licensed psychiatrist,” said Marni Stahlman, the CEO of theMental Health Association of Central Florida. That’s why, when I was preparing this year’s Christmas column — a traditionally feel-good affair — I thought we should think about those who won’t be feeling good at all.
Not to wallow in dismay, but because there are things we can do, both individually and societally, to help our neighbors in need. And because, as the recent tragedy involving the family of Rob Reiner showed, no family’s station in life immunizes them from devastation.
Here are six suggestions — most of which involve things we can dobeforecrises arise. 1.If you sense someone’s in need, reach out. You don’t have to be an expert. “Connect with them.
Listening without correcting,” Stahlman said. “Keep the relationship intact even if you disagree with their choices.” Just letting someone in need know you care can be the difference between them seeking help and abandoning hope. 2.If you need professional help — for yourself or someone else — it’s available with just a phone call. Call the Mental Health Association of Central Florida at 407-898-0100 and ask for the “connections” program.
The association’s goal is to find help for residents of Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Brevard and Polk counties within 24 to 48 hours. The group will find a professional who matches your health care program’s benefits and even find one for callers who have no benefits at all. 3.If you are in crisis or know someone who is, call 988.
The national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org) has been around for two decades but got a big, streamlined boost in 2022. Professionals staff the line 24-7, every day of the year — including Christmas — with an important message: “You are not alone.” 4.If you sense immediate danger, call 911 — and tell the operator you’d like to speak to someone in the “behavioral health unit.”Sometimes people are afraid to call 911 for fear that their loved one may be arrested when that doesn’t help anyone.
That’s why local governments in Central Florida invested in adding behavioral health units to their emergency call centers. These units are staffed by licensed mental health professionals who can offer help instead of just handcuffs. 5.Tell your elected officials this is an issue you care about.
Then vote like it.Jails are the No. 1 provider of mental-health services in Florida. That’s pathetic.
It’s also dangerously ineffective. While the state has madesome stridesin recent years, there still aren’t nearly enough resources.
Florida needs more beds, more professionals, more clinics and to start talking to kids about these issues at younger ages. This state has the money but has yet to summon the will, and vulnerable families pay the price.
Until elected officials believe their constituents care as much about mental health as the divisive, hot-button cultural issues they push during elections, little will change. 6.Support an organization on the front lines.If you don’t know how to help someone in need, consider helping a group that does. The Mental Health Association (mhacf.org) punches way above its weight class.
And the National Alliance on Mental Health (nami.org) and its Central Florida chapter (namicf.org) provide help and support groups for families, caregivers and those struggling alone. I hope everyone reading this has the merriest of Christmases.
I know we plan to do so — all the way down to the corny Conniff carols that my own now-grown kids enjoy almost as much as I did when the songs were already dated 50 years ago. And maybe we can all do a bit more on behalf of those whose holidays won’t be nearly as bright.
Source: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/12/23/mental-health-florida-reiner-christmas/