MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS PROJECT

"Education is Key to prevention"

Suicide is the 2nd largest cause of death in people aged 15-34, and the 10th largest cause of death in the U.S.A. Mood disorders, like major deppression, bipolar disorder, and dysthymic disorder, are the 3rd most common cause of hospitalizations in the U.S.A for youth and adults 18-44. Individuals living with serious mental illness face an increased risk of physical health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS). Having another mental disorder is most common in children with depression: about 3 in 4 children aged 3-17 years with depression also have anxiety (73.8%) and almost 1 in 2 have behavior problems (47.2%). These are the statistics according to the CDC, and these statistics show that people need help.

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The Mental Health Awareness Project is advocating for better mental health education and resources in schools. Of course some schools do have methods to prevent mental health problems like counselors. But according to ct.counseling.org, there is only 1 conselor per 455 K-12 students. I feel that for how big this problem is, it doesn't get enough attention in the classroom. "Mental health is an important part of overall health and well-being. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood."(CDC).

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Promoting awareness in schools can help kids who feel uncomfortable with their mental illness open up to their parents, or therapists, and stop stigma around mental illness. According to the CDC, parent therapy is one of the first steps in treating anxiety and deppression. Resources for kids such as therapy can be hard to find. To quote the CDC: "Some families cannot find mental health care because of the lack of providers in their area. Some families may have to travel long distances or be placed on long waiting lists to receive care. Cost, insurance coverage, and the time and effort involved make it harder for parents to get mental health care for their child." If we implement therapists and counselors in our schools then kids can be diagnosed and treated earlier. We have our petition on the Get Involved page. This petition can help may kids in need, it is asking for mental health education and resources in our schools. For more information, go to the Get Involved page or go to change.org/mentalhealthok. We have an anonymous survey to see the mental health stats in our area, so please look at that through the button below. These methods can help so many people, and you can be part of that change. I know that the world is facing a lot of problems right now, and we are not saying those aren't problems, but that doesnt make mental illness any less real for the millions of people who face it. Thanks for your support.