Social Service representatives from the region including Winter Garden Women's Shelter personnel attended the first ever Mental Health Convention in Del Río, TX. on Thursday, October 10.

The event was hosted by Community Health Improvement Coalition (CHIC) which featured mental health professionals from around the country speaking on one of four issues: 1) Trends in mental health, 2) Adolescent Mental Health, 3) Mental health and the criminal justice system, and 4) Trauma.

Worldwide studies show that one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders  at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.

Treatments are available, but nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental disorder never seek help from a health professional. Stigma, discrimination and neglect prevent care and treatment from reaching people with mental disorders, says the World Health Organization (WHO). Where there is neglect, there is little or no understanding. Where there is no understanding, there is neglect.

The event offered educational tools, resources and support to those in attendance in an effort to improve the communities they represent.