The Importance of Mental Health Awareness Month

Asad Rafique
May 20, 2024

Mental Health Awareness Month provides education about the reality of living with a mental health condition—while it can make life more difficult, it doesn’t have to stop someone from having a fulfilling life.

When is Mental Health Awareness Month?

Mental Health Awareness Month is considered in May. Although it was first recognised in 1949, there has never been a more crucial time to acknowledge the importance of mental health to our general wellbeing, the need to raise awareness, and the importance of assisting those in need of treatment.

What is Mental Health Awareness Month?

May is honored as Mental Health Awareness Month, which was first declared by the Mental Health America organization. It was set up to remove the stigma attached to mental disease, educate the public about mental illness, increase awareness of research and therapies, and celebrate mental illness recovery. People frequently suffer in silence and put off seeking treatment for mental health disorders due to stigma and misunderstandings surrounding these problems. Promoting mental health awareness is a crucial step towards better understanding mental health issues and expanding access to care for people who require it.

What is the importance of Mental Health Awareness Month?

Mental Health Awareness Month helps people recognize the ways mental illness impacts their lives, educates people about available services, and highlights ways to advocate—even if they don’t have a mental illness. Eliminating the stigma attached to mental illness requires both recognition and education. There is a time and place to start a conversation during Mental Health Awareness Month. Open communication about mental health can help dispel stigma and misconceptions while also motivating persons who are experiencing difficulties to get support from others.

It’s critical that friends, family, and carers recognise the influence mental health has on day-to-day living. People can better support and assist someone who is struggling with a mental health issue when they are more knowledgeable about these issues.

Additionally, there is a chance for awareness-raising, outreach, and fundraising activities throughout Mental Health Awareness Month. In turn, this can assist finance treatment alternatives, encourage research, and link advocates to build a more positive and bright future for mental health services.

Who can benefit from Mental Health Awareness Month?

Everyone! In US, about one in five adults suffers from a mental illness. Even though they do not personally have an illness, that one person has friends, relatives, and other people whose lives are impacted by it. Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health may surprise you:

48 million have an anxiety disorder
21 million have major depression
9 million have post-traumatic stress disorder
7 million have bipolar disorder
3.5 million have borderline personality disorder
3 million have obsessive compulsive disorder
1.5 million have schizophrenia

During Mental Health Awareness Month, people who are affected by mental illness can obtain treatment and fight stigma. It facilitates communication with support systems and improves understanding of their illness among friends, family, and other loved ones. It facilitates the funding of research and treatment for medical professionals who treat patients, enabling them to better care for our collective mental health. In summary, Mental Health Awareness Month is beneficial to all of us.

What actions can you do to promote mental health awareness?

During Mental Health Awareness Month, there are plenty of chances for awareness-raising, community engagement, and fundraising activities. Events and fundraisers are held by numerous national organisations, such as the National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Health America (MHA), and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). People gather nationwide for NAMIWalks, an event that raises money, awareness, and fosters walking. Through its “Tools 2 Thrive” programme, MHA offers information on mental health issues as well as resources and advice on how to get better. To find out how you may volunteer or become involved, get in touch with your local mental health organisation. They might also host fundraisers or awareness-raising events of their own.

The best thing you can do for someone you care about who is having mental health issues is to reach out and initiate a conversation. Learn about the realities of dealing with mental health difficulties, and face any stigma or judgement you may be feeling. Simply being there for the people in your life can help spread the word about acceptance and awareness.

Text or give the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline a call at 988 if you or someone you care about is going through a mental health crisis. You can also book an appointment or consultation with our professionals for personalized support and guidance.

Reference

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP22-07-01-005, NSDUH Series H-57). https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2021-nsduh-annual-national-report

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