#WhyCare – that’s the hashtag for Mental Health Month, which is May. Why should you care about mental health? Think that since mental health doesn’t apply to you right now, it doesn’t affect you? If it hasn’t yet, I can assure you, at some point, it will touch your life in some way, shape or form. Read on for some sobering stats.
#WhyCare – 1 in 5 adults in the United States live with a mental health condition.
#WhyCare – An estimated 16 million adult Americans had a depressive episode during the past year.
#WhyCare – 3-6% of pregnant or postpartum women experience a depressive episode and it’s estimated that 50% of major depressive disorders begin prior to delivery.
Let’s not forget how mental health can affect our kiddos…
#WhyCare – 1 in 5 children from 13-18 will have or have had a serious mental illness.
#WhyCare – Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for those aged 10-24. 90% of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness.
#WhyCare – 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14; 75% by age 24.
I’m doing my part to raise awareness of the importance of mental health. Just the other day at work, I listened to a heartbreaking story of a colleague whose son has a mental illness, and after being in and out of treatment recently, called a suicide prevention hotline (thank God!). My colleague had 4 cops show up at their house. One of my very best friends struggles with bipolar. I remember a very long time ago visiting her in a treatment facility during a particularly rough patch in her life. I have a family member that has suffered a long time with anxiety and was on medication at one point.
I’ve had my OWN issues. As a new mom, postpartum depression and anxiety crippled me during the first year of my daughter’s life. It nearly derailed my marriage during that time. One of the saddest memories I recall during that period was sitting on the couch while holding my baby girl thinking she’d be so much better off without me. Those were some dark days, I tell you. But, I was fortunate to realize I needed help and got treatment. So did my colleague’s son. So did my family member, my friend.
Let’s do our part and not only raise awareness but end the stigma around this. You are not broken if you have a mental illness or are getting therapy or on medication to help improve your mental health.
You are not a bad mother.
You are not a bad friend.
You are not a bad wife or partner.
You are not a bad sister.
We can only change the negative attitude by changing how we talk about this topic. Want to learn more about what you can do to get involved? Visit the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website to learn more.
I want to hear from you. Can you share your story about mental health and how it’s impacted your life? Use the #WhyCare hashtag and tell us why YOU care.
