Mental health awareness is the act of learning and spreading accurate information about mental illness with the goal of reducing stigma. While stigma around mental illness has declined over the years, it is still a major barrier for many individuals seeking treatment. Stigma has been found to influence political enthusiasm, charitable fundraising, access to care and funding for research. It has also been linked to feelings of reluctance to seek help, lower levels of treatment adherence and higher rates of suicide.
People who suffer from a mental illness may live in your own neighborhood, work in the next cubicle or sit in the pews of your church. But, despite the fact that mental illnesses affect 19% of adults and 46% of children, only half receive treatment. The reason for this is that people are afraid to ask for help. They are worried that they will be judged or discriminated against by their family, friends and co-workers. They are concerned that they will lose their jobs or be unable to find new ones. They are worried that their health insurance will not cover their treatments. They are scared of being labeled as mentally ill and having their lives changed forever.
Educating people about the signs and symptoms of mental illness is one of the most important things that we can do. However, simply increasing awareness does not mean that people will act differently. After all, many people are “aware” that their clothes are made in sweatshops, that their elected leaders are corrupt and that their cars are harming the environment, but they continue to wear their clothes, drive their cars and buy their groceries. Changing the way that we think about mental health and wellbeing is going to take much more than awareness efforts.
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