10/10 - World Mental Health Day
The first week of October, Mental Illness Awareness Week is a way for advocates to educate the public on mental health conditions and reduce the social stigma around receiving mental health care. Established by Congress in 1990, it coincides today, October 10th, with World Mental Health Day.
It’s often overlooked that about one in five adults in the United States experience mental illness in a given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. While Team Suicide Prevention’s focus as our name implies is on “suicide prevention”, these mental illness problems range from depression and anxiety to substance abuse. Another staggering statistic from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 51.5 million American adults experienced mental illness within the past year, an increase from 17.7% in 2008 to 20.6% in 2019. Among these adults who have a mental illness, only 43.3% sought treatment. This implies that well over 50% of those affected by mental illness issues suffer alone and face the reality of living with a mental health condition without help or support. The cold reality is that mental illness affects everyone directly or indirectly through family, friends or coworkers.
Let’s break down the facts regarding Mental Issues a bit further:
1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 25 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 illness affects:
37% of LGB adults
27% Mixed/Multiracial adults
22% of American Indian or Alaska Native
20% of White adults
17% of Latinx adults
16% of Black adults
15% of Asian adults
Annual prevalence among U.S. adults, by condition:
Anxiety Disorders: 19.1% (estimated 48 million people)
Major Depressive Episode: 7.2% (17.7 million people)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: 3.6% (estimated 9 million people)
Bipolar Disorder: 2.8% (estimated 7 million people)
Borderline Personality Disorder: 1.4% (estimated 3.5 million people)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: 1.2% (estimated 3 million people)
Schizophrenia: <1% (estimated 1.5 million people)
To compound matters even further, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the coronavirus pandemic has brought with it a mental health crisis, and a new report found Americans are experiencing more mental health consequences related to Covid-19 than people in other countries. The number of Americans reporting anxiety symptoms is three times the number at this same time last year, the CDC said, and numerous studies have shown that the pandemic has hit people of color, particularly Black people, the hardest.
The pandemic has also taken its toll on caregivers, according to a national analysis of at least 6.7 million caregivers insured by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The report found 26% of unpaid caregivers trying to balance work and family due to Covid-19 are feeling more stress and have poorer physical health than before the pandemic. The fact is that WE are in the midst of an expanding and severe crisis.
This is the Reality We Face:
There is a lack of understanding surrounding people experiencing mental illness.
Mental health is a huge part of overall health and should be a priority for everyone, whether you have a mental health condition or not.
There is no health without mental health #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW
So what can you do?
A great resource with plenty of very helpful information is at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) site at this link: NAMI
People seeking treatment can find providers in their area by reaching out to the agencies below:
National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
We must open our hearts and talk to one another. If you are in a crisis or know someone in a crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741
Thank You and Stay Safe!
cj
References used in this post:
https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mental-illness-awareness-week
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/09/health/mental-illness-awareness-week-wellness/index.html