May is Mental Health Month: It was first designated in America in 1949 by Mental Health in America. This is the 74th year we have celebrated Mental Health Month.
It’s a month dedicated to two things mainly:
1. Recognizing that we ALL have a level of mental wellness just like we all have a level of physical wellness, and
that mental wellness is linked to all other kinds of health and wellness.
2. It’s also a chance to have conversations about how mental illnesses are real just like other chronic physical
illnesses, and that they can be treated effectively. Like chronic illnesses, diagnosing them and treating them as
early as possible can prevent or lessen symptoms.
We often focus on just physical health and ignore our mental wellness, for instance getting plenty of rest and exercise but
still living a stressful lifestyle when there are some things we also could do to eliminate or reduce that stress.
• Wellness is essential to living a full and productive life
• Stress affects our wellness and is something we all experience but there are ways to either better deal with stress
or reduce it in our lives.
• Anxiety disorders affect around 40 million Americans annually
• Major depression affects around 15 million Americans annually
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects around 11 million Americans annually
• Bipolar Disorder affects around 6 million Americans annually
• It is common for mental illnesses to co-occur with substance use disorders and other diseases like diabetes, heart
disease, etc.
Go to Mental Health In America’s website (www.mentalhealthamerica.net) for more information about Mental Health Month and mental wellness and to take a free, confidential, online screening for yourself or someone you are concerned about.
For an extensive list of links on mental health go to www.sinnissippi.org and click on LINKS at the top of the page. The link to the screenings is also there at the top of the page.
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