Destigmatize mental health to treat illness and prevent suicide
Issue 18 • Week of May 15, 2022 • Updated October 18, 2022
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
The US has the third highest rate of mental illness globally while most people lack both sufficient financial support and professionals nearby to treat them. We should talk more openly about some of the root causes in our culture since many are political.
Until then, someone you know already has a mental illness who is not getting the help they need and that should concern everyone. Conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to OCD and PTSD directly affect 1 in 5 Americans and cause a number of ripple effects.
It is up to us to be there for our friends and family as we too could have some bad luck and find ourselves in a similar situation due to the wide variety of causes or triggers -- especially since half of those suffering reported that the pandemic worsened their mental state and our society is still grappling with the psychological effects of social media, both positive and negative. We also owe it to the 8+ million mental health caregivers to provide adequate space and self-care support.
What more can we do as a society?
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