This has been a tough year so far in the United States. We’ve had the Boston Marathon bombings, several gun shootings, natural disasters, the Yarnell wildfire and the current government shutdown.
Although these events have harmed and saddened many Americans, we eventually move on while paying tribute.
But what if every day feels like a disaster that you cannot escape from? What if every day is a struggle to survive in your own mind?
During Mental Illness Awareness Week, which is October 6-12, 2013, mental health advocates hope to bring a spotlight to mental health and illness education. And with education there can be some understanding of what it feels like to live with mental illness.
One feature of this week is the National Depression Screening Day on October 10, 2013. You can start your own awareness process by taking a self-assessment to determine if you could have depression: http://www.helpyourselfhelpothers.org/
Leonora Kain, a mental health division lead clinician at Pathpoint, said in an email that she suggests people do activities to support mental health awareness at all times.
“We encourage people to care, to focus on a person’s strengths while supporting them to rise above their weaknesses, to give them helpful, accurate feedback when they are receptive to it, and to be respectful – to avoid treating any adult with a disability as though she or he were a child,” Kain said.
She said one common misconception she would like the general public to be aware of is that people with mental illnesses are not more likely to commit violent crimes – in fact, they are more likely to be victims.
Here are two other facts about mental health that tend to get misconstrued:
1] “There is a common misconception that women are more likely to be depressed than men ... Part of this misconception arises from the fact that women are more likely to get treatment and are more likely to talk about their depression.”
2) “Another common misconception is that only women have mood swings related to hormonal imbalance, such as occurs during PMS or menopause. The truth is that men can also have hormonal cycles that affect their moods and behavior.”
Christine Lewis, the executive director of Recovery International, said in an email that she encourages people with mental illnesses to attend support group meetings starting this week.
“The most important things we all can do doing during Mental Illness Awareness Week is to let individuals dealing with mental illness know that there is help, hope, support and a way to bring peace back into their lives,” Lewis said.
Meetings at Recovery International are made available to anyone. Meetings are in-person, online and over the telephone. Currently, Lewis said that a majority of group attendees are women over the age of 55, so it’s important for younger women to realize that they can’t wait so long to take charge of their mental health.
“We must share our stories with our girlfriends, daughters, nieces, granddaughters, and younger sisters,” Lewis said, “so that a new generation of young women, our future leaders, are not ashamed to seek support because of stigma, and feel empowered to find resources to help them lead more peaceful and productive lives, when building relationships and in their education.”
Michelle Frank, a clinical psychologist in Chicago working with the Center for Personal Development, said in an email that we all need to take a closer look at how we’re taking care of ourselves during this awareness week.
“We consider bodily illnesses to be worthy of attention and treatment, yet we so easily disconnect from our own mental and spiritual health,” Frank said.
“When we bottle up emotions and disconnect from ourselves, we are at much greater risk for mood swings, anxiety, trouble sleeping, and the like, which can increase the likelihood of a predisposition towards mental illness to manifest or worsen.”
“Particularly as women, we can't wait until our body or spirits are screaming to begin paying attention to ourselves and caring for our needs just as we would a child or spouse,” she added.
She said that women struggle with mental illness symptoms, and feel even worse because they can’t live up to society’s high expectations of them and their complicated roles.
“Our culture does not value taking time and rest for oneself to care for emotional and spiritual well-being,” Frank said.
“Women know this, and run themselves ragged trying to mask their inner challenges lest they be judged as incapable and undeserving, fears that only contribute to stress.”
Sources:
National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mental Illness Awareness Week. Web. October 9, 2013.
http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=mental_illness_awareness_week
Mental Health Report 2013. NAMINYCmetro.org. October 9, 2013.
http://www.naminycmetro.org/IWillListenStudyResults/tabid/166/Default.aspx
Screening for Mental Health. National Depression Screening Day. October 9, 2013.
http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/events/national-depression-screening-day.aspx
Kain, Leonora. Email interview. October 9, 2013.
http://www.pathpoint.org
Lewis, Christine. Email interview. Ocotober 9, 2013.
http://recoveryinternational.org/about/about-self-help-systems.asp
Frank, Michelle. Email interview. October 9, 2013.
http://www.chicagotherapist.com
http://www.chicagotherapist.com/michelle-frank-team-10.php
Reviewed October 10th, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith