It’s Mental Illness Awareness Week. Know Support Matters

• It’s Mental Illness Awareness Week. Know Support Matters
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Does Everything Happen for a Reason? Is Bipolar Your Fault?
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Quote on Mental Illness Stigma

The first full week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has dedicated 2021’s campaign as “Together for Mental Health¹.” When people come together to give and receive mental health support, thriving with mental illness is possible.

Many people living with mental health disorders lack professional help.

• Less than half of people in the U.S. living with a mental health disorder received professional health care or other services in the past year².
• In 2017-2018, 60 percent of youth living with major depressive disorder went untreated. States with the best availability of mental health services still see a third of youth with depression going untreated³.
• In 2017-2018, almost 25 percent of adults living with a mental illness reported a lack of treatment, a number that has remained consistent since 2011³.

While this is a systemic issue that will be slow to improve, all hope is not lost. Having a strong social support network has been found to be invaluable for people living with mental illness⁴.

Who in your life can you trust to listen to your concerns, treat you with dignity and respect, and help you do what you need to do to embrace life? Identifying trusted family members, friends, faith leaders, organizations, and peers in a support group will help you build a strong support system to work through the challenges of living with mental illness. You aren’t defined by your mental illness, and your support system not only knows that but will help you embrace that fact, too.

Sources:

1. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). (n.d.). Mental illness awareness week. Retrieved October, 2021 from https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mental-illness-awareness-week
2. Mental Health First Aid. (2019, February). 5 surprising mental health statistics. National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2019/02/5-surprising-mental-health-statistics/
3. Mental Health America. (n.d.). 2021: The state of mental health in America. Retrieved October, 2021 from https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america
4. Mental Health First Aid. (2020, August). The Importance of Having a Support System. National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2020/08/the-importance-of-having-a-support-system/

Recommended Video

Figuring out where to find mental health support after moving away from your usual support network can be a pain, important as it is. Alixzandria tells you how she's doing it in this video. Take a look.

Articles Related Mental Health Support

• Lean on Your Support System When You’re Anxious
• How to Provide Support for Mental Illness from Far Away
• Depression Support: Why You Need It, Where to Find It
• Are Support Groups for Depression Really Helpful?
• How Mental Health Support Groups Help You Build Self-Esteem
• Bipolar Support Groups Can Spread Misinformation
• Supporting Someone with Mental Illness Can Be Overwhelming
• I Need Mental Help: Where to Find Mental Health Help
• Free Mental Health Services and How to Find Them
• Types of Behavioral and Mental Health Services You May Need

Today's Question: What tips do you have to help people seek mental health support? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Personify Mental Illness to Cope with It Better
• Songs Remind Us It's Okay Not to Be Okay
• Rest Is an Essential Part of Eating Disorder Recovery
• Saying Goodbye to Writing for HealthyPlace
• Saying Goodbye to Writing for HealthyPlace
• Stopping the Cycle of Verbal Abuse When You Are the Abuser
• Depression and the Great Resignation: Is Quitting for You?
• Is Being a Mental Health Advocate Worth It?
• Is Being a Mental Health Advocate Worth It?
• Recognizing Codependency in Our Relationships
• When You Can't Control Your Anxious Thoughts
• Can Trauma Cause Bipolar Disorder?
• Saying Goodbye to 'Mental Health for the Digital Generation'
• My Child with ADHD Won't Listen to Me
• Saying Goodbye to the 'Anxiety-Schmanxiety Blog'
• Finding Self-Harm Help Books for Your Recovery Journey
• This Schizoaffective's Trip Was Not Perfect, but Still Good
• How to Maintain a Healthy Marriage with Borderline PD
• Unpacking the Effects of Codependency

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

There is a notion that everything happens for a reason -- even bipolar disorder. Natasha Tracy takes on that idea. Take a look.

Subscribe to the HealthyPlace YouTube channel

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. How to Identify and Deal with Your Mental Health Triggers
2. Offering Yourself Support for Mental Health
3. Workplace Mental Wellbeing Matters

If you're not already, I hope you'll like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Quote About Self-Confidence

“I will never understand why every organ in your body get support and sympathy when it is ill, except for your brain.”

Read more mental illness stigma quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. Please share the newsletter on any social network you belong to. For updates throughout the week, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or follow us on Instagram.

Thank you,
Deborah

Community Partner Team
HealthyPlace.com - America's Mental Health Channel
"When you're at HealthyPlace.com, you're never alone."
http://www.healthyplace.com