Mental Illness Awareness Week offers you the opportunity to talk about mental health matters. The week helps the general public to understand mental disorders better. It is an opportunity to join with others in your community to support people battling mental disorders and encourage them to seek professional help. Renaissance Recovery in CA highlights the reasons why you should observe mental health awareness week in 2020. It runs from 4th to 20th October every year.
Help Break the Stigma of Mental Disorders
If your family member, colleague, friend, neighbor, or schoolmate struggles with a mental illness, observing the week makes them know you are a person they can talk to when they are ready. It is a way of letting victims know you understand what they are going through. It also shows that not everyone has a negative opinion about mental disorders.
Your participation in mental awareness activities will increase knowledge of mental disorders. With increased knowledge, there will be less stigma. It can encourage people who have or suspect they have a mental health problem to feel more comfortable talking about their condition or seeking help.
You can also invite your loved ones to join you in observing the Mental Illness Awareness Week. It can empower someone who lives with a loved one with a mental disorder to start a conversation. Talking about mental health issues in a group can help you learn from others about where to search for resources and offer support.
World Mental Illness Awareness Week Can Help Someone Seek Treatment
You can commemorate this week differently and give someone else the courage to seek treatment. For example, if you suspect your colleagues are grappling with depression, use the week to inspire them to seek help. You can share your experiences with them if you have already received rehab treatment.
Make casual remarks about visiting a rehab facility. When you normalize mental health treatment, just like visits to a dental clinic, you will make it easy for people battling mental disorders to seek professional help.
Demonstrating Compassion for Those With Mental Disorders
Sadly, society mocks and ostracizes people struggling with mental disorders. It compels those suffering from mental illnesses to hide their condition. Supporting loved ones you know are victims of mental disorders is among the best ways to demonstrate compassion and kindness.
You can observe the Mental Illness Awareness Week by asking them to join you on your next getaway. It is a way of giving victims a sense of belonging. Such acts of compassion show those struggling with mental health disorders that you are glad they are around.
Educating Others About Mental Health
People would not joke about cancer or diabetes. However, it is easy to find TV programs with many negative storylines, annotations, or characters with mental disorders. You may also come across many ill-informed comments about mental well-being on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
The general public needs proper education about mental health. Therefore, you should observe this week in a way that it becomes a learning opportunity for others.
Join a Rehab Center in Commemorating the Week
Rehab centers are on the front-line in the fight against mental health problems. They are doing their part. You can join such a facility to create mental health awareness and help fight the associated stigma.
Rehab centers offer a wide variety of evidence-based mental health treatment programs, including:
- Depression treatment program
- Substance abuse treatment programs
- Mental health IOP
- PTSD treatment program
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Learn More About Mental Health at Renaissance Recovery
At Renaissance Recovery, we are ready to teach you more about our treatment programs and our Mental Illness Awareness Week plans. Contact Renaissance Recovery today to be part of the mental health problem solution.
