Guest speaker Kevin Hines advocates for mental health at Day of the Woman event

The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health hosted its annual Day of the Woman dinner Tuesday evening, featuring guest speaker Kevin Hines discussing the importance of mental health with "Cracked Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving after a Suicide Attempt," held in the Amarillo Civic Center Grand Plaza.

During the event, Hines spoke about his own life journey after surviving a suicide attempt, jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge at the age of 19. Hines discussed his ongoing battle with bipolar depression and how he has worked to overcome his own mental setbacks and help others to find hope, healing and recovery through their mental wellbeing journey.

"Brain and mental health are so very important, because we all have brains, and we need to take care of them. Your brain is the single most powerful organ you wield, and it's mostly on automatic mode. It controls every action, inaction you take, every decision, indecision. For lack of a better way of saying it, if your brain is malfunctioning, there goes the rest of you," Hines said.

"In the world today, we have a vast number of individuals alive living with mental health disorders. All around the country, all around the globe, all around Amarillo, people are struggling. ... Having a conversation like this is very crucial in helping others to take those steps to better mental health," Hines added.

In addition to mental health, Hines also spoke about how physical health can play a role in an individual's mental health and vice versa, and how supporting both in tandem create a more rounded recovery.

Angela Knapp Eggers, Senior Director of the Laura W. Bush Institute at Amarillo, spoke about the overall rise in mental health discussions seen across the world and how it has helped many to seek help, and how this is something the institute wanted to encourage locally as well.

"The institute is very interested and very passionate about mental health. ... I think mental health is the foundation of our health. If you are in a good mood or mentally stable, you can conquer the world, but if not, it can affect other aspects of health, including your physical health, and we want to help women and everyone be as healthy as they can be in all aspects," Eggers said.

Hines completed his symposium by encouraging anyone struggling with mental health or who has a loved one struggling with mental health to urge them to seek help. Those in need are urged to call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available by call or text 24/7 .

For more information about the Laura W. Bush Institute, visit them online at http://www.laurabushinstitute.org/ .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Laura W. Bush Institute hosts Day of the Woman focus on mental health