May is National Mental Health Awareness Month

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May is National Mental Health Awareness Month

April 16, 2019Mental HealthBy ALLIANCEfor Children

This month, join the effort to bring awareness to mental health conditions and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health diagnoses and treatment.

It’s important to learn how to avoid and address stigma surrounding mental health – individuals living with a mental health condition often face feelings of isolation, blame and secrecy due to the rejection, bullying and even discrimination they face because of their mental health condition. These feelings often impede individuals from reaching out and finding the support they need to cope with their mental health condition, making their journey to recovery longer and more difficult.

Face-to-face conversations and the support of mental health social media campaigns this month can help encourage members of your community or loved ones to seek the resources or treatment they need.

There are so many ways you can get involved this month in your community and on social media – learn more about how you can take action on advocacy issues to influence policy makers, find messaging and social resources to raise awareness and support for mental health, or support an existing/new fundraiser from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Mental Health Facts and Statistics

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S experiences mental illness in a given year.
Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.
60 million people in the United States face the day-to-day reality of living with a mental illness.
Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24, but early intervention programs can help.
An estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness.
African Americans and Hispanic Americans used mental health services at about half the rate of whites in the past year, and Asian Americans at about one-third the rate.
Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
90% of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, but suicide is preventable.
Each day an estimated 18-22 veterans die by suicide.
The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective; between 70 and 90% of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with the right treatments and supports.