Mental Health Awareness Month
By now, you are probably aware of this. So instead of the typical articles about mental health, we thought that we would use broader strokes and share this article by Larry Shushansky of HuffingtonPost.com. After the article I have included a copy of the presidential proclamation for Mental Health Awareness.
Don’t Simply Turn Away
Did you know that there are 35 national health observances that take place during the month of May?
To name a few: Hepatitis and Stroke Awareness Month, Mental Health Month, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, National Physical Education and Sport Week, National Bike to School Day and World Autoimmune Awareness Day. There are a total of 213 national health observances throughout the year.
Some might ask:
“Is of all this necessary?”
“Aren’t 213 observances a bit of an overkill?”
“Why so many?”
We often hear these questions because the majority of people don’t really understand the hardships, difficulties, and struggles of others; or if we do care, we’re too busy or too financially strapped to do anything about it. People question, “Can we really be expected to spend our free time and resources on such a long list of special interest groups?” Some might say, “That’s simply unrealistic. I don’t have enough time, energy or money for that!”
And this is true. You don’t, and neither do I.
Nobody has time to constantly be aware of other people’s health struggles every day. And this is exactly the reason we need so many “awareness” months, weeks, and days.
The people represented by awareness organizations would be without representation, and without services and funding to work towards becoming healthier. They would lack preventive measures and treatment were it not for those who advocate for them. Without advocates, those who are suffering would be the “unknown and unseen” in our society. Living, basically, alone without help and suffering without hope.
Let’s look at some groups who are typically represented by awareness observances:
We don’t acknowledge this side of life, because for most of us, unless we’re personally touched by some illness, struggle, or condition, we tend to turn away and pay little or no attention. We may see or hear about special populations periodically, but it generally goes in one ear and out the other, without giving it much thought. It’s similar to what many people feel when seeing homeless person on the street, everyone has an opinion, but that’s the extent of our interest and action.
So then, what can be done?
In an ideal world, each of us would have the kind of compassion and understanding that opens us up to the belief that everyone in our society deserves advocacy, support, and funding for the care they need. In an ideal world, each of us would get behind the idea that whatever malady someone experiences, that person, at a bare minimum, is due the respect it takes for them to be seen as deserving of services. In that ideal world, there would be a way for each of us to advocate for solutions, not just for problems of our own, but for the problems of people who have difficulties we cannot understand.
While we don’t live in an ideal world, each of us can help work towards one.
National health observances can sharpen our awareness, making us a little more sensitive to people in need, which then motivates us into action. Maybe wecontribute when we usually would not have. Maybe our conversations about the disadvantaged change. Maybe we shift our thinking. Maybe we volunteer when we wouldn’t have before. Maybe we become more active by replying to social media posts. Maybe we increase our knowledge and understanding of the dangers of radon (National Radon Action Month), or learn about the trauma experienced by a family having a child with birth defects (National Birth Defects Awareness Month). Maybe we start to ask questions about heart disease (Heart Disease Awareness Month) or cancer (National Cancer Prevention Month). Perhaps, as we are offered the opportunity to observe, we begin to grasp the injustices of racial, ethnic and religious discrimination.
So the next time you think that public awareness of a special interest seems like too much, or you roll your eyes at another awareness month, think about what you are doing to perpetuate a situation that requires such advocacy. Then, beIndependent Enough to make a change — a shift — in your own thinking and behavior when you see a person in a wheel chair, hear of some obscure disease, or when you become aware of the victims of a natural disaster.
It’s up to you as an individual to decide how and what changes you are going to make. Whatever happens, don’t let yourself become numb or cynical. Try to fight the urge to simply shrug your shoulders and walk the other way. You may be very surprised how a random act of kindness will not only help others, but yourself as well.
Follow Larry Shushansky on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LarryShushansky
Presidential Proclamation -- National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2016
NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH, 2016
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
Nearly 44 million American adults, and millions of children, experience mental health conditions each year, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress. Although we have made progress expanding mental health coverage and elevating the conversation about mental health, too many people still do not get the help they need. Our Nation is founded on the belief that we must look out for one another -- and whether it affects our family members, friends, co-workers, or those unknown to us -- we do a service for each other when we reach out and help those struggling with mental health issues. This month, we renew our commitment to ridding our society of the stigma associated with mental illness, encourage those living with mental health conditions to get the help they need, and reaffirm our pledge to ensure those who need help have access to the support, acceptance, and resources they deserve.
In the last 7 years, our country has made extraordinary progress in expanding mental health coverage for more people across America. The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people based on pre-existing conditions, requires coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services in individual and small group markets, and expands mental health and substance use disorder parity policies, which are estimated to help more than
60 million Americans. Nearly 15 million more Americans have gained Medicaid coverage since October 2013, significantly improving access to mental health care. And because of more than $100 million in funding from the Affordable Care Act, community health centers have expanded behavioral health services for nearly 900,000 people nationwide over the past 2 years. Still, far too few Americans experiencing mental illnesses do not receive the care and treatment they need. That is why my most recent Budget proposal includes a new half-billion dollar investment to improve access to mental health care, engage individuals with serious mental illness in care, and help ensure behavioral health care systems work for everyone.
Our Nation has made strong advances in improving prevention, increasing early intervention, and expanding treatment of mental illnesses. Earlier this year, I established a Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force, which aims to ensure that coverage for mental health benefits is comparable to coverage for medical and surgical care, improve understanding of the requirements of the law, and expand compliance with it. Mental health should be treated as part of a person's overall health, and we must ensure individuals living with mental health conditions can get the treatment they need. My Administration also continues to invest in science and research through the BRAIN initiative to enhance our understanding of the complexities of the human brain and to make it easier to diagnose and treat mental health disorders early.
One of our most profound obligations as a Nation is to support the men and women in uniform who return home and continue fighting battles against mental illness. Last year, I signed the Clay Hunt SAV Act, which fills critical gaps in serving veterans with post-traumatic stress and other illnesses, increases peer support and outreach, and recruits more talented individuals to work on mental health issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs. This law will make it easier for veterans to get the care they need when they need it. All Americans, including service members, can get immediate assistance by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or by calling 1-800-662-HELP.
During National Mental Health Awareness Month, we recognize those Americans who live with mental illness and substance use disorders, and we pledge solidarity with their families who need our support as well. Let us strive to ensure people living with mental health conditions know that they are not alone, that hope exists, and that the possibility of healing and thriving is real. Together, we can help everyone get the support they need to recover as they continue along the journey to get well.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2016 as National Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon citizens, government agencies, organizations, health care providers, and research institutions to raise mental health awareness and continue helping Americans live longer, healthier lives.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA