eNewsletter - May 2022
Mental Health Awareness Month: How You Can Make a Difference
It doesn’t take a behavioral health professional to know that it has been a rough 2+ years. For everyone, at every age, in every walk of life, the global pandemic has brought a rise in mental health challenges. According to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 41.1% of American adults reported experiencing anxiety and/or depression symptoms in 2021, compared to 11% in 2019. Mental Health Awareness Month is celebrated each May and aims to address the growing need for awareness, support, and reduced stigma around Mental Health disorders.
In 1949, Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Association for Mental Health) founded Mental Health Awareness Month and was supported in 2013 by Barack Obama in a Presidential Proclamation. The event has been a catalyst in the creation of many other mental health awareness events in the month of May, such as National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, Minority Mental Health Month, Mental Illness Awareness Week, and National Depression Screening Day. This year’s “Back to Basics” theme provides foundational knowledge about mental health and mental health conditions and shares next steps for people who feel their mental health is a cause for concern.
How you can get involved. Throughout the month of May, there are many ways to help raise awareness regarding the trauma and societal impact that mental illness can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children, families, and communities. Consider the following opportunities for yourself and the patients in your care.
• Download and use the Mental Health Month Toolkit. Filled with resources such as such articles, social media posts, flyers, fact sheets and supporting images, toolkit items may be printed and shared. Download it today and determine the best resources to help raise awareness throughout the month.
• Wear lime green on Fridays. At Linden Oaks, we’ll be wearing lime green each Friday throughout the month of May to help raise awareness at work and out in the world. Will you join us and help spread the word? A simple act like this can lead to so many people finding the resources and support they need.
• Get mental health first aid certified. Aimed at making mental health first aid as common as CPR, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing provides training to ensure those certified know what to do if they experience a mental health crisis. Certification is accomplished via a one-day online training session and is available for a variety of different audiences.
• Share your story. Finding ways to share your own experiences in person or online can be incredibly powerful and help decrease the stigma attached to mental health diagnoses. Join many who will help drive mental health awareness during the month of May by finding ways to share your own story. If you choose to share online, use this year’s event hashtags #BacktoMHBasics, #MentalHealthMonth and #MHM2022.
Find more resources. Linden Oaks has behavioral health professionals available for consult that specialize in treating mental health disorders. To connect with a certified therapist for a behavioral health assessment, please call the Linden Oaks Help Line 24 hours a day at (630) 305-5027 and one of our professionals will assist in determining if a patient may benefit from treatment at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health.