Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) was established in the U.S. in 1990 recognition of efforts by the

National Alliance on Mental Illness The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a United States-based nonprofit organization originally founded as a grassroots group by family members of people diagnosed with mental illness. NAMI identifies its mission as "providing advoc ...

(NAMI) to educate and increase awareness about

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

. It takes place every year during the first full week of October. During this week, mental health advocates and organizations across the U.S. join to sponsor events to promote community outreach and public education concerning mental illnesses such as

major depressive disorder Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevat ...

, and

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

. Examples of activities held during the week include art/music events, educational sessions provided by healthcare professionals and individuals with lived experience and/or familial lived experience, advertising campaigns, health fairs, prayer services, movie nights, candlelight vigils, and benefit runs. As of 2017, over 46 million (almost 1 out of 5) U.S. adults live with a mental illness. 4.5% of U.S. adults (over 11 million) have a Serious Mental Illness (SMI). The numbers may be larger because stigma reduces reporting. 45 percent of these adults meet criteria for two or more disorders. These range from fairly common mood disorders to the much more serious anxiety and schizophrenia disorders. Among these, anxiety disorders were the most common, as some 40 million American adults ages 18 and older experience some form of anxiety disorder. Despite the large number of Americans affected by such disorders, stigma surrounding mental illness is a major barrier that prevents people from seeking the mental health treatment that they need. Programs during Mental Illness Awareness Week are designed to create community awareness and discussion in an effort to put an end to stigma and advocate for treatment and recovery. MIAW coincides with similar organization campaigns in early October such as

World Mental Health Day World Mental Health Day (10 October) is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global ...

( World Federation for Mental Health), National Depression Screening Day (Screening for Mental Health), and National Day Without StigmaNational Day Without Stigma
/ref> ( Active Minds).

References

External links

{{wikisource, Mental Illness Awareness Week
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) website

Mental Illness Awareness Week website in Canada

Mental Health America (MHA) website
Mental health in the United States October observances Health observances Disability observances Awareness weeks in the United States

See also

References

External links