Mental Illness Awareness Week takes place starting this coming Sunday, October 4th until October 10th. National Depression Screening day is October 8th and World Mental Health Day is October 10th. This year, MHA will highlight Mental Illness Awareness Week through ‘7 Days, 7 Ways’
Many people do not seek treatment in the early stages of mental illnesses because they don’t recognize the symptoms. During Mental Illness Awareness Week, MHA will focus on sharing information about 7 major mental health conditions:
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Psychosis
- Eating Disorders
- Depression
- PTSD
- Addiction/Substance Use Disorder
Each condition coincides with a free screening tool MHA offers through this link. Taking a mental health screening is one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. Screening helps catch problems early – B4Stage4.
Here are 7 ways to get involved with mental health awareness advocacy during Mental Illness Awareness Week:
- Challenge your beliefs. Rethink the way you understand mental health and mental illness and explore how “-isms” (such as racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, etc.) relate to mental health. Learn more about the intersections of these issues and their impact on mental health. [mhanational.org/bipoc]
- Act on advocacy. Representatives Chu and Smith introduced the PEERS Act of 2020 on September 11, 2020, an important step towards better-integrating peer specialists as a key part of mental health care. Ask your Representative to co-sponsor this important bipartisan bill: [https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials].
- Support others. Many people will go through a challenging time that affects their mental health. There are simple things that every person can say or do to help the people in their life who are struggling to get through the tough times. Here are 7 tips for supporting others: [https://mhanational.org/supporting-others].
- Reset and engage in self-care. Finding ways to decompress and relax are critical to your mental health. Whether it’s a nap, reading, or calling a friend, take a break from the usual grind. Need help with figuring out what to do? Just do one of these 31 things to boost your mental health: [https://www.mhanational.org/31-tips-boost-your-mental-health].
- Get screened. Screening for mental health conditions should be just as normal as screening for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or any other chronic health condition. Taking a mental health screening on our website is one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition: https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools?ref=MHAHouston
- Get mental health into the debates. Tweet at the debate hosts and moderators to bring mental health to the national spotlight for the presidential and vice-presidential debates. Click here to send prepared tweets to the debate hosts and moderators now through October 22.
- Give. Whether it’s monetary support, sending someone some love, or volunteering your time, give back to your community. Donate to support Mental Health America of Greater Houston’s programs, such as screening, public education, and advocacy, here: https://mhahouston.org/donation/
For more information about Mental Illness Awareness Week or to download a free toolkit, you can visit mhanational.org/miaw or MHAHouston.org
