BATON ROUGE - May is mental health awareness month and professionals are reminding residents that it's important to tackle mental heath issues early.

Counselor at The Wellness Studio, Dr. Katie Fetzer said the brain is just like any part of the body and it's important to take care of it. 

"Our mind sits within the brain and as with any other piece of us and our health, things can happen to us in life that can cause us to struggle," Dr. Fetzer said. "What we know as mental health professionals it that it is much better to prevent things from escalating and worsening than it would be to intervene later when things have become progressively worse." 

An easy way for early intervention is to seek professional help such as scheduling an appointment with a therapist. 

Louisiana residents can text REACHOUT to 741741or call 1-866-310-7977 to be connected to a crisis counselor. The service is free and confidential.