NAMI Celebrates Mental Health Month

Posted on May 2, 2017

ARLINGTON, Va., May 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This month, NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will observe Mental Health Month to raise awareness about mental illness and call on all Americans to be 'Into Mental Health: Inspired, Informed, Involved.' The campaign will focus on the power of starting inspiring conversations, being informed to know the right thing to say and becoming involved with NAMI activities.

"Sixty million people in the United States face the day-to-day reality of living with a mental illness and every American is affected through their friends and family," said Mary Giliberti, CEO of NAMI. "Mental Health Month is a time for us all to come together, to inspire people, raise awareness and become involved so we can build better lives for millions of people with mental illness. We're asking everyone to join with us to say, "I'm in to mental health!"

Millions of Americans are affected by mental health conditions every year. Here are facts about the prevalence and impact of mental illness.

• 1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with a mental health condition and 1 in 25 adults in the United States lives with a serious mental illness.
• Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24, but early intervention programs can help.
• 90% of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness. Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the United States, but suicide is preventable.
• The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective; between 70 and 90% of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with the right treatments and supports.

Mental Health Month is an opportunity to take action where people can provide support, advocate for equal care and fight stigma. Stigma is a sense of shame and disgrace that sets someone apart from others. Dealing with a mental health condition can be tough, and the isolation and blame that is often encouraged by stigma can create huge challenges to moving forward in one's recovery. Mental Health Month provides the opportunity for people to come together to fight stigma.

"We want everyone to know they are not alone on this journey and together, we have hope," said Giliberti.

People can also celebrate Mental Health Month by creating their own event to improve the lives of people with mental health conditions or joining a NAMIWalk event, which is celebrating its 15^th anniversary, in one of the many communities across the country.

For additional information about Mental Health Month, and to access resources and suggested activities, visit: www.nami.org/mhm and www.nami.org/awareness.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Join the conversation at  www.facebook.com/nami | twitter.com/namicommunicate | www.instagram.com/namicommunicate/

SOURCE National Alliance on Mental Illness