Integral Care works with local media to promote understanding of mental health and reduce stigma. As Travis County’s Local Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authorities, we offer expertise and resources on mental health, crisis care, suicide prevention, substance use, and developmental disabilities. For media inquiries, contact media@integralcare.org.
Topics Available
Integral Care experts are available to discuss:
- Mental health trends affecting Central Texas adults, children, and families
- Crisis response and alternatives to law enforcement for behavioral health emergencies
- Suicide prevention, warning signs, and how communities can help
- The intersection of mental health, homelessness, and housing stability
- Youth mental health and school-based behavioral health services
- Substance use and recovery support
- Supporting veterans, first responders, and other high-stress professions
- Early intervention for children and adolescents
- Intellectual and developmental disabilities and community inclusion
- Behavioral health impacts of disasters, traumatic events, and community crises
- Mental Health First Aid and community-based prevention strategies
- Access to mental health care and reducing barriers to treatment
- Recovery stories and lived experiences that inspire hope and resilience
- Innovative programs that improve mental health outcomes
Tips on reporting on mental health
If writing about mental illness, substance use disorder or intellectual or developmental disabilities, these tips may be helpful. This information is intended to raise awareness among news organizations, journalists, journalism students and professors on how to improve reporting on mental health issues.
Know the facts
- Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. have one or more diagnosable mental disorders in a given year.
- An estimated 5 to 7% of adults in the U.S. have a serious mental illness in a given year.
- Research shows people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than commit violent acts.
- Mental illness accounts for approximately 3% of violence committed in the U.S.
- Recovery from mental illness is possible and the majority of people live successful, productive lives.
- On average, people with mental illness die 25 years earlier than others, and they die from chronic disease, not mental illness.
- Stigma contributes to social isolation and discrimination and can discourage people from seeking treatment.
Language
Person-first language is a best practice (being mindful of a person’s disability). For example, say “Bob is a person living with mental illness” rather than “Bob is mentally ill”. Bob is a person who happens to have a mental illness, he is not his mental illness.
Referrals
Provide helpful information for how to get more information or help for a mental health issue. Stories in the media can raise issues for people who may need help but haven’t reached out. Help them connect to the help they need by providing contact information for hotlines and websites. Integral Care has a 24/7 Crisis Helpline and a walk-in mental health crisis clinic that’s open seven days a week.
- 24/7 Crisis Helpline
512-472-HELP (4357)
Press 1 for English, then 1 for mental health crisis support. - Psychiatric Emergency Services
Richard E. Hopkins Behavioral Health Building
1165 Airport Blvd., Second Floor, Austin, TX 78702
Hours – 24/7
Other Resources
Media Guide
Reporting on suicide
Research shows that covering stories on suicide can increase the likelihood of additional suicides, depending on the type of coverage. Covering this topic with sensitivity can support individuals to seek help. Below are suggested tips to help prevent additional deaths.
- Refrain from using photographs of grieving relatives and friends when a suicide has occurred. Photographs might encourage someone contemplating suicide to act as a way to get attention or get back at someone, creating a dangerous copycat effect. Youth are especially vulnerable to these effects.
- Do not report the method or place of suicide in detail. Exposure to suicide methods, including photographs, can encourage imitation among vulnerable individuals.
- Do not portray suicide as a heroic or romantic result of a single event or cause. This obscures the long and painful process that results in completing suicide. Over 90% of suicide victims have a significant mental illness at the time of their death.
- Share resources for help including 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and Integral Care’s 24/7 Support for Mental Health: Call 512-472-HELP (4357)
- General overview
- Adult services
- Child and family services
- Crisis services
- Intellectual and developmental disabilities services
Integral Care helps people build health and well-being so everyone has the foundation to reach their full potential. We support adults and children living with mental illness, substance use disorder and intellectual and developmental disabilities in Travis County.
Our services include a 24-hour helpline for anyone who needs immediate support, ongoing counseling to improve mental health, drug and alcohol treatment to help with recovery, and housing to regain health and independence. Integral Care helps provide a strong foundation for well-being.
Individual and community well-being is built just like a house is built. A strong foundation, the right tools and ongoing maintenance help us all weather life’s storms, like a mental health issue. Integral Care helps adults living with mental illness and substance use disorder rebuild and maintain their mental and physical health.
Our services include counseling to support emotional health, drug and alcohol treatment to help with recovery, housing to regain health and independence, and exercise and nutrition programs for people who want to learn ways to lead a healthy life. Integral Care provides the tools everyone needs to maintain well-being, reach their full potential and contribute to our community.
Healthy families are the cornerstone of a strong community. Just like we need experts to build a house, Integral Care’s experts ensure that families have the skills and resources they need to thrive. Integral Care’s programs and services help children build strong brains and bodies, support emotional health through counseling, teach families to communicate better, and when necessary, help families find a safe and affordable home.
Integral Care helps families build their health and well-being so they can meet their everyday needs at all stages of life.
Good mental health is a building block for well-being. Like a storm that knocks a house from its foundation, a mental health crisis can knock someone off their feet. Integral Care offers mental health crisis support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Our crisis services are staffed by a team of experts and include a helpline for anyone who needs immediate emotional support, resources to prevent suicide, and teams that go anywhere someone needs help. Integral Care’s crisis services help people recover from a mental health crisis and rebuild their well-being.
A healthy community creates opportunities for everyone to share their gifts and talents and make meaningful contributions. Integral Care works with children and adults living with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to make sure they have the tools they need to thrive. Integral Care’s programs and services create opportunities for people to form healthy relationships, access stable jobs and live independently.
