May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
Greeting readers!
Since 1949, May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. Mental illness is considered common in the United States, considering nearly 1 in 5 adults live with a mental illness in the U.S. We continue to watch this number grow due to the continuous impact of the COVID 19 pandemic. Although great strides have been made in reducing the stigma around mental illness, the stigma still seizes to exist. Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM) is about raising awareness about mental illness and reducing the stigma that comes with it.
Mental Illness – 2020 Statistics:
In 2020, there were an estimated 52.9 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with any mental illness. This number represented 21% of all U.S. adults.
The prevalence of any mental illness was higher among females than males.
Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of any mental illness.
The prevalence of any mental illness was highest among the adults reporting two or more races followed by White adults.
The National Alliance on Mental Illnesses (NAMI) is recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month with the theme of “Together for Mental Health”. This theme supports the idea that as a community we have a vision of a world where anyone affected by mental illness can get support and live a healthy and quality life.
Mental Health America’s theme for May is “Back to Basics”. This theme realizes that after living in the pandemic for the past two years, many individuals have been affected by the stress, isolation, and uncertainty that comes with it. The goal of this theme is to provide awareness and information about mental health and how to get help if your mental health is a cause for concern.
Here’s how YOU can be a Prevention Partner:
Social Media: Share these graphics from NAMI with your friends, family, and community. Use the hashtag #MHAM or #MHAM2022
Be a mental health advocate: Sign up for advocacy alerts for a better mental health care system from NAMI here!
Share your story: If you have been affected by mental illness, share your story for others to hear: https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Share-Your-Story
Toolkit: Download the Mental Health America toolkit here!
Register today for Mental Health America’s 2022 Annual Conference on June 9th-11th. Registration is FREE for virtual attendees. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity – click this link to sign up today! Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mhas-2022-annual-conference-forward-together-recovery-healing-hope-tickets-276748059897
Together, we can raise awareness about mental illness and break the stigma surrounding it!