May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Thursday is National Mental Health Action Day.

Experts estimate one in five Americans experience a mental illness each year. The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased anxiety, stress, loneliness, panic attacks and more. As a result, more people have focused on their mental health and perhaps that has lessened some of the stigma attached to mental health.

That stigma has often kept those suffering from mental illness from seeking treatment or getting help.

UPMC is offering a free mindfulness seminar Friday designed to provide tools to alleviate stress and anxiety.

Dr. Matthew Hurford, Vice President of Behavioral Health at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Insurance Services Division is on Thursday's Smart Talk with more information about mental health.

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