World Mental Health Awareness Day is recognized on October 10th. Mental health encompasses our state of emotional well-being and can affect everyone – regardless of age, sex, gender, socioeconomics, or ethnicity. Interruptions including stress, anxiety, work demands, financial stability, and depression can further exacerbate the ability to cope with relationships, daily living, and physical health.
Unfortunately, mental health still has a stigma and because of this, people often delay getting treatment for fear of losing jobs, friends, or respect due to the prejudice and discrimination surrounding the topic.
The most common misconceptions surrounding mental illness include:
- People with mental illness can just “snap” out of it.
- People that experience mental health issues are violent.
- People with mental illness are not capable of holding down a job.
- Children do not experience mental illness.
Positive mental health and well-being support productivity, performance, social behaviors, and physical health. Perhaps one of the biggest acts of mental health awareness took place on the world stage during the 2021 Summer Olympics. Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time withdrew from the individual all-around competition to focus on her mental health after experiencing a mental block on the vault during the Tokyo Olympic Games. Putting her physical and mental safety first, Simone Biles once again proved why she is a role model to so many. She states, “Put your mental health first. That’s more important than any other medal you could win.”
Remember, the most important thing you can do is talk about It. Click here to receive information on education, support groups, and helplines.
Fast Facts – Courtesy of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
- 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
- 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
Mental Health Conditions and Illnesses include:
- Anxiety disorders
- Behavioral and emotional disorders in children
- Bipolar affective disorder
- Depression
- Dissociation and dissociative disorders
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Paranoia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Psychosis
- Schizophrenia
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