May is a time to raise awareness for people living with mental or behavioral health problems and to help reduce the stigma that many people suffer. Every year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with mental illness. During the month of May, NAMI joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Every year we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.
MTV, in coordination with the White House, HHS and SAMHSA, will organize the first Youth Action Forum on mental health in history to bring the culture of awareness to action on mental health through storytelling and the media Visit SAMHSA's Facebook page Visit SAMHSA at Twitter Visit SAMHSA's YouTube channel Visit SAMHSA on LinkedIn Visit SAMHSA on Instagram SAMHSA Blog The mission of SAMHSA is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on American communities. Mental Health Month was established in 1949 to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and well-being in the lives of Americans and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health is similar: an occasional bad day is to be expected, but when things that were easy before become much more difficult, something happens. Most mental health conditions don't have a single cause, but have many possible causes, called risk factors.
During the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mental Health America chose “Tools 2 Thrive” as a theme to help people deal with anxiety, stress, depression, etc. My strategy includes actions that will expand the portfolio of behavioral health professionals in the areas of greatest need, integrating health mental health treatment and substance use in primary care and expand access through more virtual care options. National Prevention Week (NPW) is a national public education platform that brings together communities and organizations to raise awareness of the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health. The National Institute of Mental Health states that 8% of American teenagers already have an anxiety disorder.
More than a third of Americans live in designated areas with a shortage of mental health professionals, areas that have fewer mental health providers than the minimum their population would need. Mental Health Month provides us all with a valuable opportunity to celebrate the tremendous strides this nation has made in promoting mental health and in increasing public awareness of the availability of effective services and support.
