Mental health a major concern during holiday season


Mental health a major concern during holiday season

The holiday season can be a joyful time for many, but for some it’s the exact opposite.

Many peoples’ first worry is the concern of starting a house fire, but there are other things that many people are losing sleep over this time of year.

“Some of the biggest dangers are large groups of families, grease fires, complacency,” said.

The Aberdeen Fire Department will be prepared in case something happens, but they also want home owners to be prepared too.

“Anytime you’re cooking with grease, you want to be sure to have a fire extinguisher handy, don’t use water because that will just push around the flames, it won’t extinguish them,”

Fires are one of many stresses for people this time of year.

“The winter time, particularly the holidays presents some unique challenges for us,” Sergeant Tanner Jondahl with the Aberdeen Police Department said.

Sergeant Jondahl with the Aberdeen Police Department has taken dozens of mental health related calls this time of year.

“We can see an uptick in mental health calls, and also in some types of domestic violence situations,” Jondahl said.

Jondahl says there are a few reasons this time of year is tough on people.

“Holidays can be particularly trying for some individuals if they’ve lost loved ones over the course of the last year, also it can be kind of a lonely time, the weather kind of keeps people inside, can pull them away from their friends a little bit, reduce their activity,” Jondahl said.

If people are feeling down they can take action immediately. Jondahl says any police officer can help guide people in the right direction, or they can turn to their friends and family.

“Make sure you reach out to the family or friends that might be having issues, might be depressed,” Jondahl said.

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is open 24/7. That number is 1-800-273-8255.




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