Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay. The first steps to eliminating human suffering and struggles are to seek understanding and practice compassion.
In the US, 1 in 5 adults experienced mental illness in 2019. That translate into either we, ourselves, have experienced it or we are in probably in close proximity to someone who has.
Mental illness stigma is pervasive and must be eradicated.
Stigma perpetuates shame, myths, and the ostracizing of members of our community.
Reversing the stigma means getting the facts and data, talking about mental health like we do the weather, and promoting therapy and medical treatment like we do for physical illness.
Everyone needs to be part of the solution. In Detroit, Debbie Nelson coordinates a juvenile mental health court program that serves youth. Her goal is to ensure the youth receive treatment and services so they can experience have pursue happiness and success in school, family and friend relationships, and life. Dr. Anita Caprice Msc.D. (she/hers) volunteers and raises the awareness of suicide prevention with on her Facebook page and social media platforms. In fact, probably every celebrity you know (follow) will hashtag #WorldMentalHealthDay today.
But a hashtag and what others do are not enough; we need you. We need your voice and your action.
If you do nothing else today, do these three things:
- Take five minutes to look at the infographics on the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website, http://www.nami.org.
- Talk with someone about what you learned.
- Share the NAMI link and this post on your social media pages.
Understanding and compassion are foundational to creating inclusion, and what you learn and do today can make a difference.
Inspiring Minds 