Andrea Purnell, communications and artistic director for the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at UMSL, discussed mental illness in the St. Louis community as part of a guest panel on the June 29 edition of “The Pulse of St. Louis” on KPLR (Channel 11).

In a given year, about one in four adults will be affected by a mental or neurological disorder. Of Missouri’s approximately 5.9 million residents, close to 223,000 adults live with serious mental illness and about 65,000 children live with serious mental health conditions, according to figures from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The issue is as significant in the Show-Me State as it is across the nation and around the world. Andrea Purnell, communications and artistic director for the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, discussed mental illness in the St. Louis community as part of a guest panel on the June 29 edition of “The Pulse of St. Louis” on KPLR (Channel 11).

The show featured segments on different areas of mental health including postpartum depression, the stigma surrounding mental illness, mental illness in African American and other minority communities, adolescent mental health and suicide risk, and the resources available in St. Louis for people experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Click here to watch the four-segment edition of “The Pulse of St. Louis.”