May Is Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in the US since 1949. Every year during the month of May, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Together, we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support the millions of people in the US affected by mental illness.
During Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI joins the mental health community to reaffirm our commitment to building our understanding of mental illness, increasing access to treatment, and ensuring those who are struggling know they are not alone. This year, NAMI is celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month with the “More Than Enough” campaign!
It’s an opportunity for all of us to come together and remember the inherent value we each hold — no matter our diagnosis, appearance, socioeconomic status, background, or ability. We want every person out there to know that if all you did was wake up today, that’s more than enough. No matter what, you are inherently worthy of more than enough life, love, and healing. Showing up, just as you are, for yourself and the people around you is more than enough.
You’re invited to share on social media why you are more than enough by using the hashtag #MoreThanEnough. Update your Facebook profile with the NAMI #MoreThanEnough frame and encourage others to do the same! Together, we can create more than enough meaningful change in mental health!
With NAMIWalks, you can help knock down walls and topple obstacles. Our rallying call, “Mental Health for All,” is closer than ever before. No one is alone because everyone is encouraged. There is a spirit of inclusion at NAMIWalks that makes the event feel special. So many stories are shared and traditions started. Participants are united by the knowledge that they are making a difference by coming together for mental health.
Millions Are Affected by Mental Illness
22.8 percent of US adults experienced mental illness in 2021 (57.8 million people). This represents one in five adults. More than five percent experienced serious mental illness in 2021 (14.1 million people). That’s one in 20 adults.
Only around 47 percent of adults in the United States with a mental illness receive treatment in a given year, according to NAMI, and even about a third of people with a serious mental illness remain without treatment in any given year.
Empowerment Not Stigma!
Recovery from serious mental illness requires that people with such a condition retain a sense of empowerment—a belief in their ability to take charge of their lives and manage the complex challenges of their illness.
Empowerment is essential if people with a mental illness are to overcome the many prejudices that too many Americans still carry with them: the stereotype that makes them believe a person with a mental illness is incapable, unpredictable, even violent, and worthless.
The late Colorado Recovery founder Richard Warner dedicated most of his life to fighting the stigmatization of people with mental illness. Colorado Recovery has been utilizing the Warner method to empower adults with mental illness for many years now. Our program approaches mental healthcare based on a path of self-reliance through developed practiced skills. Recognizing the importance of empowerment for recovery, our non-institutionalized philosophy offers comprehensive levels of care supported by an expert medical and clinical team, engaging patients in increasing community participation.
Our treatment facility provides the services needed to address schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other serious mental illnesses. Call us at 720-218-4068 to discuss treatment options for you or the person you would like to help.
