Mental Health Awareness
Written by Alaina Smith MA, LPC, CAADC

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is something multi-faceted, and it is vital to how we function in our daily lives. Too often, we think of mental health only when something is wrong or a diagnosis of an illness is given. Mental health is not something that only some people have to worry about. It affects all of us in some way because we all have emotions and a mind. Awareness is key to stopping stigma and shame and creating an environment where wellness can thrive.

Fast Facts

• 1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness.
• Nearly 1 in 25 (10 million) adults in America live with a serious mental illness.
• One-half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14; three-quarters by the age of 24.
• Approximately 10.2 million adults have co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders. (from National Council for Behavioral Health)

Raising Awareness

Part of reducing stigma is raising awareness. By learning more about mental health and mental illness, you can be better equipped to function in relationships and support your wellness and the wellness of others. One practice that is becoming more common is the idea of being trained in mental health first aid. This is especially helpful for individuals who function in roles where they are exposed to several other individuals, for example churches, schools, community organizations/clubs, etc.

Mental Health First Aid organization has a great listing of resources for all variety of mental health needs as well as provides training in mental health first aid. They explain on their website that “Mental Health First Aid is a course that gives people the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it does build mental health literacy, helping the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness. ”

Speak about it

Another great way to raise awareness is just by talking about it! Getting real, getting vulnerable, being there with transparency. I am by no means telling you to “air the dirty laundry” in your life all over Facebook. But I am saying that it is okay to be honest when you have a harder than normal day. Be honest about being scared, anxious, angry, depressed, lonely, stressed out, grieving. Whatever emotions you have, those emotions are not right or wrong. They simply are. And its okay to feel them, talk about them, express and work through them.

The key is having the right audience when you share those thoughts and feelings. Choose a safe, trusted friend who you can be real and honest with. Share on your social media in ways that normalizes mental health and awareness of mental health. National Council For Behavioral Health and National Alliance on Mental Illness have some great resources related to that and even some graphics you can download and share on social media.

Look Within

Be willing to address your own mental health. We cannot be good to others if we are not taking care of ourselves. We all have routines and behaviors that indicate we are doing well, and ones that indicate life might be getting a little out of control. Ask yourself, have your day to day behaviors changed or shifted? Have you noticed people acting differently around you or saying you are different? Have you been telling yourself its “just a bad day” and trying to “push through”, but maybe its really been much longer than one day?

Look within, check in with your emotions and thoughts and help determine if your mental health is suffering. Talk to your doctor and/or a therapist if you feel you may be struggling to get back to your normal on your own. One of the best ways to reduce stigma and raise awareness is to know when we ourselves have a need and be willing to do something about it.

Alaina Smith, MA, LPC, CAADC is one of the bilingual therapists at CPC, able to provide services in Spanish. She specializes in substance abuse, alcohol/drug addiction, gambling addiction and sex addiction. Her heart is in helping others to find their voice and she seeks to see her clients the way that God sees them, as well as to help them along the journey to learning to love themselves and see themselves through God’s eyes. When Alaina is not in the office you can find her spending time with family and enjoying the various festivals and events that Grand Rapids offers throughout the year. Learn more.