Mental Health — You Are Not Alone
Hello everyone,
I'm taking a class on Mental Health History and Treatment, and I would like to share some facts and free resources about how many people also experience mental illness. You are not alone. We are not alone. : D
"Mental health is not just mental illness. It is our wellness! Most of us in our lifetimes will experience something that causes a challenge for our mental health - a loss of someone, birth of a child, loss of a job, witnessing a traumatic event, etc. It is important to normalize discussions and options for care around mental health and wellness, and that experiencing a challenge is normal and okay."
Fast Facts
"
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
50%
of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
Suicide is the 2nd leading
cause of death among people aged 10-1 "
—
NAMI
— Mental Health By the Numbers
According to https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide, "suicide is a Leading Cause of Death in the United States." The reason we don't know this is that it isn't publicized or talked about, the reason suicide isn't studied as much or given as much money as other issues is due to the stigma people have against it. Which, as I have stated in the past, is so pervasive that even research on suicide is negatively affected and not conducted. See Kitty Westin (Oct 5, 2017), "Breaking the Stigma and Shame of Mental Illness," TEDx Talks, YouTube: https://youtu.be/OsRF8xGgbPA.
More resources —
-
What is Mental Health? - https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health
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National Harm Reduction Coalition - https://harmreduction.org/movement/evolution/
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Crisis as an Opportunity for Growth and Change - https://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Crisis-as-an-Opportunity-for-Growth-and-Change-Shery-Mead-Intentional-Peer-Support.pdf
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Psychosis and Psychotic Episodes - https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/what-is-psychosis
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Language Matters: Committed Suicide vs. Completed Suicide vs. Died by Suicide - https://www.speakingofsuicide.com/2017/09/21/suicide-language/
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CPI’s Top 10 De-escalation Tips Revisited - https://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/CPI-s-Top-10-De-Escalation-Tips-Revisited
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Learning how to talk about suicide in a hopeful, respectful way has the power to save lives - https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/words-matter-suicide-language-guide.pdf?la=en&hash=9C06C63A7664D3F5A6FF41D3E94D66BEEB980B3B
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I’m Concerned About Someone - https://suicideprevention.ca/im-concerned-about-someone/
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Suicide hotlines that DO NOT contact police and DO NOT participate in non-consensual intervention -
"Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14" * - got cut off, https://www.nami.org/mhstats#:~:text=The%20Ripple%20Effect%20of%20Mental%20Illness,-PERSON&text=People%20with%20depression%20have%20a,likely%20to%20develop%20these%20conditions.
