Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month is observed in May. Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, join the movement to raise awareness about mental health, fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.

In addition, Mental Health Awareness Month calls attention to the fact that mental health conditions affect about one in five Americans every year. Although society has become more understanding and accepting of mental health issues, the stigma still exists. Bringing awareness to the stigma of mental illness is the first step in fighting for change. Wear lime green for Mental Health Month. You can also raise awareness for mental health with the color green. Both colors are available on this website in enamel awareness ribbon pins, fabric ribbons, and silicone awareness wristband bracelets.

Wear Lime Green for Mental Health Month!

Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. For the past 20 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has recognized Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM) every May to increase awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our overall health and well-being.

Pause To Recognize Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we want to make sure we recognize a difficult truth: Nearly one in five Americans lives with a mental health condition, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

That includes any mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder such as:

• Depression.
• Anxiety.
• Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder.
• Personality disorders.
• Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia.
• Trauma.
• Eating disorders.
• Substance-use disorders.

Reach Out and Come Together

Are you or a family member struggling? Remember, too, that your primary care physician or your child’s pediatrician is a perfect place to start the conversation about stress levels and possible mental health issues. A medical expert can advise your next steps including a conversation with a behavioral health expert.

Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feelings, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to let everyone know that mental illnesses can affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. They are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing, and cannot be overcome through willpower. But they are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.

Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering. Untreated mental health conditions can result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide, and poor quality of life. The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than 100 billion dollars each year in the United States.

Mental Health Statistics

Learn more about mental health and substance use in America:

• One in five adults (57.8 million adults) in the U.S. experienced mental illness in 2021.
• 46.3 million people aged 12 or over had a substance use disorder in 2021.
• 47.2% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2021.
• 65.4% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment in 2021.
• 33.5% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2021 (19.4 million individuals).
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 and the third leading cause of death among those aged 15-24 in the U.S.
• 46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition.
• At least 4 million people in the U.S. provide care to an adult with a mental or emotional health issue.
• The average delay between symptom onset and treatment for mental illness is 11 years.
• 3 million Americans live in recovery after some form of substance use challenge.
• Three out of four people who experience addiction eventually recover.