Staff Perspective: May is Mental Health Awareness Month
We’re heading to the end of May, but before we get there, we wanted to take the time to spotlight that this is Mental Health Awareness Month. With the increased societal awareness, the stigma around Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other behavioral health concerns has decreased, but it is certainly very much still in existence. Due to this, events like Mental Health Awareness Month are still very necessary to increase the knowledge of both the issues faced and the resources available to those in need.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a wealth of resources for raising awareness and education on mental health issues. They’ve got a Mental Health Month website at https://www.nami.org/mhm that features information, petitions, social media advocacy, ways to find out how to get involved in your local community and much more.
Mental Health America is featuring the theme of “Life with a mental illness” this year. They have a collection of submissions by individuals describing what it’s like to live with a mental illness. They’ve also got a toolkit, fact sheets and tips to download.
Make the Connection is an effort by the VA to let Veterans and their family members know about the help and resources that are available to them to assist with mental illnesses. The site allows them to read about relatable experiences that other have gone through and find local resources, programs and facilities that can help.
Though May is coming to a close, this is a vital topic for many Service members, Veterans and their families all year long. These are only a few of the many resources available to help educate and treat those in need. If you have any other suggestions for useful resources, please feel free to comment below!
Chris A. Adams is the Online Services Project Manager for the Center for Deployment Psychology. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University.
We’re heading to the end of May, but before we get there, we wanted to take the time to spotlight that this is Mental Health Awareness Month. With the increased societal awareness, the stigma around Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other behavioral health concerns has decreased, but it is certainly very much still in existence. Due to this, events like Mental Health Awareness Month are still very necessary to increase the knowledge of both the issues faced and the resources available to those in need.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a wealth of resources for raising awareness and education on mental health issues. They’ve got a Mental Health Month website at https://www.nami.org/mhm that features information, petitions, social media advocacy, ways to find out how to get involved in your local community and much more.
Mental Health America is featuring the theme of “Life with a mental illness” this year. They have a collection of submissions by individuals describing what it’s like to live with a mental illness. They’ve also got a toolkit, fact sheets and tips to download.
Make the Connection is an effort by the VA to let Veterans and their family members know about the help and resources that are available to them to assist with mental illnesses. The site allows them to read about relatable experiences that other have gone through and find local resources, programs and facilities that can help.
Though May is coming to a close, this is a vital topic for many Service members, Veterans and their families all year long. These are only a few of the many resources available to help educate and treat those in need. If you have any other suggestions for useful resources, please feel free to comment below!
Chris A. Adams is the Online Services Project Manager for the Center for Deployment Psychology. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University.