Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 2 to 8
Photo: Hannah Busing | Unsplash
By Kristen A. Schmitt
Every year, millions of people are affected by mental illness and, sometimes, seeking treatment can be difficult depending on physical, social or financial barriers. According to Mental Health America, 19.86% of U.S. adults are currently experiencing a mental illness – or roughly 50 million Americans – and 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14.
These statistics illustrate how prevalent mental illness is in the U.S. and are useful for raising public awareness, breaking down bias and helping advocate for better mental health care. Treatment options like therapy, medication and self-care can lead toward recovery; however, it’s not always easy to take the first steps. Or even know where to look to find the necessary resources.
The first week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week. It was established by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) over three decades ago in an effort to focus exclusively on educating and increasing awareness about mental illness. Call to Mind joins like-minded organizations this week to raise awareness, fight discrimination, remove biases and increase support for those who need it.
This year’s theme is “What I Wish I Had Known” and elevates the experiences of those who have lived with mental illness. Lived experience is “at the core of mental illness” and only the person experiencing it truly understands what is happening. Acknowledging and respecting what the person has gone through is a critical part of supporting someone with mental health lived experience. Listen to them. Ask questions. Start a conversation. Limit judgment.
Here are some resources:
Understand how prevalent mental illness is across ages, genders and ethnicities. This is critical in supporting and advocating for better mental health care. Check out NAMI’s reference guide: Mental Health by the Numbers.
The language used to talk about mental health matters. Call to Mind has put together a comprehensive Media Style Guide to address appropriate ways to refer to different conditions and terms related to mental health and well-being.
Mental Health America’s B4STAGE4 also outlines the early warning signs of mental illness and what risk factors and symptoms to look for.
You can also learn more about the new 988 crisis lifeline by listening to our latest broadcast special: “988: A Call for Crisis Care.”
It is important to note that mental health and mental illness are not the same thing even though the terms are often used interchangeably. Mental illness is a diagnosed condition that affects thoughts and behaviors; whereas, mental health is an umbrella for anyone’s emotional well-being.