Mental Illness Awareness Week takes place from October 6 – 12, 2019. This year, October 10 is World Mental Health Day and National Depression Screening Day.
2019 Theme: 7 Days, 7 Ways
Many people do not seek treatment in the early stages of mental illnesses because they don't recognize the symptoms.
During Mental Illness Awareness Week, MHA will focus on sharing information about 7 major mental health conditions:
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Psychosis
- Eating Disorders
- Depression (On October 10 to coincide with World Mental Health Day and National Depression Screening Day)
- PTSD
- Addiction/Substance Use Disorder
Each condition coincides with a free screening tool MHA offers at MHAscreening.org. Taking a mental health screening is one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. Screening helps catch problems early - B4Stage4.
A screening only takes a few minutes, and after you are finished you will be given information about the next steps you should take based on the results. A screening is not a diagnosis, but it can be a helpful tool for starting a conversation with your doctor or a loved one about your mental health. Screening for mental health conditions should be just as normal as screening for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or any other chronic health condition.
Not only are we sharing information about mental health conditions each day of the week, but we will also share 7 ways to start getting involved with mental health awareness and advocacy!
How Can I Get Involved?
- Learn. Start by reading up about different mental health conditions. You can also hear stories of what mental illness feels like from those with lived experience here. Then, take a look at our 7 ways to get involved for Mental Illness Awareness Week!
- Take a mental health screen and encourage others to try. Each of the conditions mentioned above also coincides with a mental health screen, and each condition-specific fact you share can direct people to screening at mhascreening.org.
- Spread the word. Post images (click here for MHA's social media graphics) providing tips for ways people can get involved with mental health advocacy, awareness, and education, or address a specific condition.
- Create your own message! You may also use the statistics below to create your own social media posts or add to your organizations e-newsletters or other materials.
| General Statistics |
- Nearly 1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year.
- 46 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, and half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14.
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| Screening-specific |
- 74%of people who take a screen at mhascreening.org score positive or show moderate to severe signs of a mental health condition.
- 78% of people who take the alcohol or substance use screen at mhascreening.org are likely to have a substance use disorder.
- 72% of people who take the anxiety screen at mhascreening.org show signs of moderate to severe anxiety.
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Thank you for being a part of this movement!
Sample Social Media Posts to Share
Hashtags to use for social media: #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
| Day to Post |
Topic
(Click on each condition to learn more about it!) |
Sample posts for social media |
| Any day during Mental Illness Awareness Week |
General promotion |
- This week is #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek! This year, we're sharing facts about #mentalhealth conditions and ways you can get involved through Mental Health America's #7days7ways campaign! Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MIAW19
- October 6 - 12 is #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek! Join me for the #7days7ways campaign hosted by Mental Health America. I'm sharing facts about #mentalhealth and ways to fight back against stigma. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MIAW19
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| Day 1 |
Anxiety |
- Most people experience feelings of anxiety. Anxiety disorders, however, go farther than what's expected. Taking a screen at MHAScreening.org can help determine if you're experiencing an anxiety disorder. #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- To be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, a person would worry much more than is normally expected and they spend much of their time bothered by their worry. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in America. 21% of American adults live with a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw]
#MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
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| Day 2 |
Bipolar Disorder |
- People with bipolar disorder experience extended periods of extreme high energy and mood called mania, and extended periods of extreme low energy and mood called depression. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw]
#MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- With bipolar disorder, periods of mania and depression can last weeks or even months. Experiencing 4+ of these episodes within a year is called “rapid cycling.” Learn more for #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- More than 3.3 million American adults are diagnosed with bipolar disorder in a given year. An estimated 4.4% of U.S. adults experience bipolar disorder at some time in their lives. Learn more for #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MIAW19 #7day7ways
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| Day 3 |
Psychosis |
- Psychosis is a general term to describe a set of symptoms of mental illnesses that result in strange or bizarre thinking, perceptions (sight, sound), behaviors, and emotions. Learn more for #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- Conditions that have psychosis as a main symptom are referred to as psychotic disorders; however, psychosis may also occur as a feature of other disorders like bipolar or major depression. Learn more for #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- Hearing voices and seeing things that aren’t there are more common than we think. Learn more for #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MIAW19 #7day7ways
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| Day 4 |
Eating Disorders |
- People struggling with an eating disorder often become obsessed with food, body image and/or weight. These disorders can be life-threatening if not recognized and treated appropriately. The earlier a person receives treatment, the greater the likelihood of full recovery.
- Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and OSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorder), are bio-psycho-social diseases - not fads, phases or lifestyle choices.
- Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, and the longer they go undiagnosed, the more difficult they are to treat. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- In the US, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
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| Day 5 |
Depression |
- Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay and #NationalDepressionScreeningDay. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Screening can help catch mental health problems early. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages experience #depression. Screening can help catch #mentalhealth problems early. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways #WorldMentalHealthDay #NationalDepressionScreeningDay
- In a #B4Stage4 world, screening is the first step in intervention for people with symptoms of #mentalhealth conditions like #depression. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways #WorldMentalHealthDay #NationalDepressionScreeningDay
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| Day 6 |
PTSD |
- For many people, symptoms of PTSD begin almost right away after the trauma happens. Trauma doesn’t go away on its own. It can last a lifetime. And it can be deadly. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- PTSD is a mental health condition that can occur as a response to experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD is not limited to individuals who have witnessed combat. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- Where trauma is concerned, we can’t ignore the long-term. We can’t continue just to do more of the same if we want to make a difference. Widespread mental health screening would be a start. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
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| Day 7 |
Addiction/Substance Use Disorder |
- Substance abuse affects an estimated 25 million Americans. The increasing use of drugs and drinking can come with serious risk and devastating consequences. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- Alcoholism (heavy drinking) afflicts 16 million adults and almost 300,000 children annually. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
- An estimated 21.6 million Americans (age 12 and older) are addicted to other drugs such as sedative-hypnotics or barbiturates, opiates, sedatives, hallucinogens and psychostimulants. Learn more: [mhanational.org/miaw] #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #MIAW19 #7day7ways
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