Stigma
Weekly update #347 9/13/2026 to 9/19/2026
September is Mental Health Awareness Month and the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, South Central Indiana kicked the week off with an event here in Seymour. Before that though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
This week, the 26/27 cohort of Leadership Jackson County met at City Hall for presentations from several groups. I always enjoy sharing a little insight into the City of Seymour with the group with my presentation. Each year, they break off into smaller groups and tackle projects around the county. The goal is to establish something that will benefit the community for years to come. One of those was the Maverick Minute Touch a Truck at the Jackson County Fair, which I believe will be back again in 2027. Thank you to those involved in Leadership Jackson County for helping our future leaders grow, and thank you to those in this cohort for taking the time to work on your skills.
During the Administrative Resources Association, ARA, board meeting this week we had a chance to hear from Dr. Ryan Brewer about economic forecasting with a presentation titled “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.” The conversation was good, and several indicators show positive notes for the future. One takeaway for me was that indicators are showing that communities who are investing in schools and quality of life more than us are also growing at a faster rate than we are. Thank you, Dr. Brewer, for joining us at the ARA board meeting and especially spending the least amount of time on the ugly section.
This past week, I spent my work morning with the Freeman Municipal Airport crew and mowed what they call the levy. I have helped do this before, and it is one of those tasks that just takes time to accomplish. I always find myself laughing as I get used to the equipment again and the process becomes smoother. While mowing, I noticed what seemed like a military plane fly over, but didn’t pay it much attention to it at the time. Later, after several hours of mowing as I headed back across the airport property, I noticed a parachute gliding towards a field and then another and another. I am not sure how many jumps they made this week, but it was definitely a surprise as I noticed the first one. Thank you to the crew at the airport for all the work you put in week after week to keep the property well maintained, and thank you to the National Guard for the jumpers to watch as I headed back to the shop.
This week, NAMI South Central Indiana held a walk from Crossroads Park here in Seymour to raise awareness for mental illness. Statistics show that 23.4% of adults in the United States experienced mental illness in 2024. That is over 5000 people here in Seymour alone. Sadly, only about 52% of those received treatment that year. The stigma around having a mental illness is strong and probably a part of why just over half of those seek treatment. In 2020, the Indianapolis Colts launched “Kicking the Stigma,” a campaign designed to help lower the stigma around mental health issues. Congress has even tried to help end the stigma and in 2001 funded suicide prevention efforts. Later in 2022, the phone number was shortened to 988, and now you can text or call it if you find yourself in crisis. This week, I will leave you with a quote from actress Glenn Close because I think it sums up how we end the stigma around mental illness, "What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation."