October 2-8 is Mental Illness Awareness Week

This year, Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) will take place from October 2nd through October 8th, 2022 with World Mental Health Day being October 10th. MIAW was established in 1990 when the United States Congress officially dedicated the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week. It is an annual event to highlight and raise awareness of mental illness, fight mental health discrimination, and provide support through mental health education.  

For the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) this year their MIAW theme is “What I Wish I Had Known.” Each day throughout the week, people who are living with a mental illness will talk about their experiences and what they wish they had known about sooner. 

The topics will include: What I Wish I’d Known About…

• Monday Oct. 3: Stigma

• Tuesday Oct. 4: Medication [National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding]

• Wednesday Oct. 5: Therapy

• Thursday Oct. 6: Disclosing (National Depression Screening Awareness Day designated to raise specific awareness of depression and provide availability to screening assessments and other resources).

• Friday Oct. 7: Caregiving

How to raise awareness:

Many people living with a mental illness do not seek help due to many factors such as not wanting to admit they need help, lack of information or financial resources, feelings of shame, negative stigmas associated with mental illness, feeling alone, and more. Raising awareness for mental health conditions can start by:

1. Share your story. Normalize talking about mental health through open discussions. Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and living with a mental condition and illness are common and treatable.

2. Education of yourself and others of what mental illness is, symptoms, causes, treatment, and how to talk about it. 

3. Advocate and help raise awareness of mental illness, fight mental health discrimination and provide support through mental health education.  

4. Avoid using inappropriate or offensive mental health language such as: the weather is so bi-polar, my dog’s so schizophrenic today, what a crazy driver. 

7 Terms to avoid when talking about mental illnesses:

Social worker Emily Bulthuis suggests the following 7 language adjustments around how mental illnesses are talked about which may help in decreasing negative stigma:

1. Don’t use the broad term “mental illness.” Not all mental illnesses are the same and people experience them differently even with the same diagnosis. 

2. Don’t use the terms “afflicted by mental illness,” “suffers from mental illness” or “is a victim of mental illness,” and instead use “living with a mental illness.” No one would use the terms “suffering from asthma” or “suffering from diabetes.” Bulthuis states that having a mental health diagnosis isn’t necessarily a negative thing and using the word “suffering” can imply that someone is unwell and unhappy. 

3. Do use “person first” language. Don’t use: “Mentally ill person” or “person who is mentally ill” and instead use “person with a mental illness” or “person living with a mental health issue.”  A person with a mental health issue is more besides their mental illnesses. Accepting someone as a person first is respectful and honors the other parts to them outside of their diagnosis. 

4. Don’t use: “schizophrenic, psychotic, disturbed, crazy or insane” and instead use “person living with schizophrenia” or “person experiencing psychosis.” Bulthuis shares in her article that someone with cancer would never be referred to as someone that is “a canceric” or a heart patient as “heart diseased.” People with mental health issues are unfairly labeled by their medical condition. People are people and not their illnesses. 

5. Don’t use: “normal behavior” and instead use “usual behavior” or “typical behavior.” At times there is not a clear definition of what “normal” is and a person can feel hurt and defensive if their mental health condition is classified as not fitting in the category of normal. Using words like, “usual” or “typical” sounds less critical. 

6. Don’t use: “Substance abuse,” or “addict” or “user” and instead use “substance use disorder.” There are many factors and emotional health issues leading to the behavior of missing drugs or alcohol which aren’t simply a choice to abuse a substance. By using “substance use disorder” it accepts there are other factors and removes some of the blame associated with substance abuse and is a way to offer support for those recovering from addiction. 

7. Don’t use “committed suicide” but instead use “died by suicide” or “lost by suicide.” Avoid language that blames and shames if someone’s mental health issues cause them to die by suicide.  

Mental Illness:

Many people live with a mental health condition and are affected directly or indirectly through personal experience or through family, friends or coworkers. While having a mental health concern periodically is normal, a mental health concern becomes a mental illness, condition or disorder when consistent symptoms cause stress and affect daily functioning. These symptoms affect a person’s thinking, feeling, mood and behaviors and may affect the ability to relate to others and function each day at work, school and in relationships. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors. Each person will have different experiences, even people with the same diagnosis.

According to statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year

• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year

• 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year

Mental illness affects:

• 44% of LGBTQ adults

• 32% Mixed/Multiracial adults

• 22% of White adults

• 19% of American Indian or Alaska Native

• 18% of Latinx adults

• 17% of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander adults

• 17% of Black adults

• 14% of Asian adults

Annual prevalence among U.S. adults, by condition:

• Anxiety Disorders: 19.1% (estimated 48 million people)

• Major Depressive Episode: 7.8% (19.4 million people)

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: 3.6% (estimated 9 million people)

• Bipolar Disorder: 2.8% (estimated 7 million people)

• Borderline Personality Disorder: 1.4% (estimated 3.5 million people)

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: 1.2% (estimated 3 million people)

• Schizophrenia: <1% (estimated 1.5 million people)

Symptoms:

The Mayo Clinic gives the following examples of symptoms of mental illness which can vary depending on the disorder and other factors. Sometimes symptoms of a mental health disorder appear as physical problems, such as stomach pain, back pain, headaches, or other unexplained aches and pains.

• Feeling sad or down

• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate

• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt

• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows

• Withdrawal from friends and activities

• Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping

• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations

• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress

• Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people

• Problems with alcohol or drug use

• Major changes in eating habits

• Sex drive changes

• Excessive anger, hostility or violence

• Suicidal thinking

Prevention:

If you are living with mental illness or concerned for someone who is:

• Pay attention to warning signs and symptoms. Work with your doctor or therapist to learn what might trigger your symptoms such as stress or change. Make a plan so that you know what to do if symptoms return. Contact your doctor or therapist if you notice any changes in symptoms or how you feel. Consider involving family members or friends to watch for warning signs.

• Get routine medical care at your primary care provider. Don't neglect checkups or skip visits to your primary care provider, especially if you aren't feeling well. You may have a new health problem that needs to be treated, or you may be experiencing side effects of medication and they can refer you to the right kind of support you need. 

• Get help when you need it. Mental health conditions can be harder to treat if you wait until symptoms get bad. Seek help from a professional therapist or medical doctor.

• Self-Care:  Proper rest, sleep, healthy eating and regular exercise are important. Talk to your primary care provider if you have trouble sleeping or if you have questions about diet and physical activity. 

• If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or text the crisis text line (text HELLO to 741741).

Everyone can be a part towards raising awareness of mental illness, fighting mental health discrimination, and providing support through mental health education. Every conversation matters when it comes to improving how we talk about mental illnesses and how we make space for everyone to feel validated and supported.

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Roubicek & Thacker Counseling is Fresno’s premier provider of individual, couples, family, and group therapy. We offer in-person and online remote therapy sessions. Contact us today to change the way you feel.