This is an opinion column

It’s a book club with a difference. Instead of members analyzing character motivation or dissecting the plot, the WellRead book club members will read and discuss books that help people struggling with mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

It will be a quarterly gathering hosted by WellStone, one of our region’s largest comprehensive mental health providers. The first meeting will be held on September 13 at 6 p.m. at the North Huntsville Library. The moderator will be Kenny Anderson, Director of Multicultural Affairs for the City of Huntsville.

Why do we want another book club? Aren’t there enough out there now? Karen Petersen, WellStone’s Director of Development, says we need to raise awareness about mental health issues and deal with the stigma people still feel when they ask for help. Even though 1 in 3 people will deal with a mental health issue in his or her lifetime, we still think it won’t be us, Petersen says.

In her talks to the public, she asks people to look to their left and then to their right. “One of you,” she says, “will need help with substance abuse or mental illness.”

She should know. Now sober for 20 years, Peterson struggled with anxiety, ADHD, and alcoholism. She knows how the “life jacket” that alcohol offers is only temporary, and when a person’s drinking gets out of control, the message is clearly to stop. But she didn’t until she finally went to a treatment center to get the help she needed at an out-of-state facility.

And it worked. Help is out there, even closer to home, and WellStone offers treatment on a sliding-fee scale. They take private insurance, too. Nobody is turned away. Last year they served 13,000 people. The need is clearly there.

Petersen says that mental health treatment has been hiding in the shadows of the heath care system for a very long time. We have physical checkups once a year, but we don’t have mental health check ups. We don’t get blood work. Scans and X-rays don’t reveal what we try to cover up.

The WellRead book club will encourage people to talk openly about the issues their books bring up. The first book is “Reasons to Stay Alive”, a memoir by Matt Haig, a young man who suffered panic attacks, depression, and anxiety. He finally got help when it was almost too late and he was considering suicide.

In his book, he lists all the things he now enjoys that depression took from him. He thought he’d never again delight in vanilla fudge; warm popcorn; The Beach Boys; his children’s silly jokes. He writes that recovery is different for everybody, but it is possible. He’s living proof.

September is Suicide Prevention Month. Petersen says that in 2022, the Madison County Medical Examiner reported one suicide, on average, every six days, an alarming statistic. There is a suicide prevention hotline-988- that anyone can call. Counselors are ready to help around the clock. There’s no shame in asking for it. There’s no shame in calling. And there’s no shame in talking about your own mental health struggles.

The first WellRead book club meeting is free of charge, but registration is required. For more information, contact Karen Peterson at [email protected].

You may reach Beth Thames at [email protected]