Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is an annual campaign that aims to open the eyes of the public to the reality of mental illness. MIAW coincides with National Depression Screening Day on Oct. 10.
“7 Days, 7 Ways to Fight Stigma” is this year’s theme for MIAW. The goal is to change the perception of mental illness. We're proud to stand with Mental Health America (MHA) in promoting the Fight Stigma theme.
Mental illness affects everyone directly or indirectly. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental illness is still a pervasive force. Stigma creates an environment of shame, fear and silence. It often prevents people from seeking help and treatment.
Rejecting Stigma
One of the most important ways to decrease stigma is through understanding. Knowing the facts about mental illness can help you educate others and reject stigmatizing stereotypes. Understanding mental illness isn't only about being able to identify symptoms and having a name for conditions, but about dispelling false ideas about mental health conditions as well.
Each person with mental illness has their own story, path and journey. Every year people overcome the challenges of mental illness to do the things they enjoy.
MHA offers information about mental illness conditions, symptoms and treatment at www.mhanational.org.
Mental Health Checkup
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as maintaining your physical health. One way to see if you may be experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition is to take a screening. Take a quick, confidential screening for a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, mood disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Use your results to start a conversation with your primary care provider, or a trusted friend or family member. Be aware of your mental health and get screened today.
Teaching Good Mental Health
Parents, you can teach and model healthy habits for good mental health. One way to model healthy practices is by taking care of your own mental health, talking about it openly and seeking therapy when warranted.
If your child sees you approaching your own challenges and learning for your own mistakes in an open way, they will understand that it’s okay to struggle and to learn from mistakes. They will also understand that life is messy and challenging for everyone at different times.