May is National Mental Health Awareness Month.
The American Psychiatric Association says mental illness is “a medical problem, just like heart disease and diabetes.” The National Alliance of Mental Illness described it as something that “can affect a person’s thinking, feeling or mood and can impact a person’s ability to relate to others and function each day.”
Mental illness can affect anyone, at any age. Research from NAMI shows one in five adults experience a mental illness each year and one in 17 live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Half of mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% develop by age 24.
May 9 is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Capital Area Counseling Services encourages everyone to wear green to show support to reduce the stigma around mental illness, to raise awareness and to promote conversations.
CACS Board chairperson Doneen Hollingsworth says it’s important for each of us to know the signs and symptoms of mental illness; to show compassion if we see someone struggling; and to talk about it and reach out if you or someone you know needs help. She says it’s imperative that we work together as a community to end the stigma around mental illness and ensure people get the help they need.
For more information on mental health or addiction services, contact CACS at 224-5811 or go to www.cacsnet.org. For more information about NAMI go to https://www.nami.org/.
