Happy May!
Today marks the start of National Mental Health Awareness Month! The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) is a part of this national movement to raise awareness on the importance of mental health. This year their theme is: “Together for Mental Health” (#Together4MH). NAMI’s goals for the month are to “fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.”
Some Mental Health statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) include:
More than 50% will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime.
1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year.
1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness.
1 in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.
Two days ago, on April 29th, the White House released their proclamation for National Mental Health Awareness Month. Part of that proclamation is copied below:
“Even before the pandemic, millions of Americans were experiencing stress, trauma, anxiety, and heightened levels of depression. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those conditions, creating an unprecedented mental health crisis across our country. Communities of color, frontline workers, health care workers, and individuals with eating disorders have been disproportionately impacted, and the rate of depression across the country has more than tripled compared to rates in 2019.”
The proclamation also reminds everyone to utilize the suicide hotline as needed and notifies us of a change coming to the number soon. You can call the “National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK — which will transition to a simple three-digit number, 988, in July.”
You can view the full proclamation here.
If you want to begin focusing on your own Mental Health, visit our Getting Started page and fill out our New Client Information Form!