With our nation’s eyes fixed on the television screen and other major media outlets following the primaries, there are a number of other important events happening that are being overlooked—such as Mental Health Month (MHM). Last month, events were held across the country to raise awareness about alcohol, with the goal of educating Americans about how alcohol can impact one’s life which would hopefully prevent people from traveling down a dangerous path towards alcoholism. In May, everyone is being called upon to do their part in ending the stigma of mental illness and advocate for equal care.
Mental health disorder is an umbrella term that covers a number of different conditions, including addiction. The disease is recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). There are 20.2 million adults in America who have experienced a substance use disorder, a staggering number which begs everyone’s attention, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). On top of that, more than half (50.5 percent or 10.2 million adults) had a co-occurring disorder; this is when someone living with addiction also suffers from another form of mental illness, such as: anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Mental health awareness is an extremely important topic, especially when you consider that the majority of people living with any form of mental illness do not receive mental health services. In the past year, only 41 percent of people with a mental health condition were able to get assistance, NAMI reports. Mental illness is unlike a number of other health issues, brain diseases currently do not have a cure, which means it is paramount for not only the patient, but society that those who are afflicted get the help they so desperately need.
Expanding access to mental health services will only come to fruition if we, as a nation, work together to break the stigma that has for too long accompanied treatable conditions. We all have a vested interest in bringing mental illness out of the darkness, practically every American is close to someone who battles with a mental health issue 365-days a year. Every year, 43.8 million adults in America experience mental illness, approximately 1 in 5.
May is Mental Health Month (MHM), and there are a number of things you can do to help break the stigma of mental illness. NAMI is asking people to harness the power of social media platforms to share mental health related information, images and graphics with #StigmaFree or #MentalHealthMonth. You can also take your efforts one step forward by taking a pledge to be #StigmaFree. It’s quick, easy and could reach the millions of people who are too afraid to seek help due to societal shame.
Just follow the steps below:
- Take the pledge.
- Record your video.
- Upload to your YouTube channel and other social media accounts.
- Be sure to include #StigmaFree in the title of your video.
If you’d like, take a moment to watch The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik take the pledge to be #StigmaFree:
If you can’t see the video, please click here.
