May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Month, and May 5th is called Silence the Shame Day.
Many kids in the United States have mental health problems. The most common ones are anxiety, depression, and behavior problems. About 11 out of 100 kids have anxiety, 4 out of 100 have depression, and around 6 to 8 out of 100 have behavior problems.Many adults in the United States also have mental health problems. About 23 out of every 100 adults (about 61 million people) say they have a mental illness. Anxiety is very common, it can make people feel very worried or scared. About 22 million adults have serious depression, this can make people feel very sad or stop enjoying things they used to like. About 3 million adults have another condition that causes big mood changes, from very happy to very sad.
Stigma means that some people think badly about others who are having a hard time with their thoughts or feelings.
Here are some simple reasons why stigma happens:
People don’t understand mental health very well. You can’t see it as a broken arm, so it can be confusing.
Old ideas are still around. Long ago, people didn’t understand mental health and were afraid of it.
Some people think you should “just be strong.” They may believe people should hide their feelings, even though that’s not easy.
Movies and TV sometimes show mental health the wrong way, making people seem scared or silly.
Hurtful words like “that’s crazy” or “just relax” can make mental health problems seem unimportant.
Stigma mostly happens because people don’t understand it, believe old ideas, or feel afraid it’s because of these reasons half of the adults with mental health problems got help in the past year. More women got help than men. Young adults (ages 18–25) were a little less likely to get help than older adults. One big reason is stigma.
Here are some of the ways to stop stigmas:
Asking how people are feeling. Just like people get sick in their bodies, people can also feel sick in their minds—and that’s normal.
Learn more about it, when people understand mental health better, they are less scared and less likely to judge others.
Listen and be supportive. If someone says they are feeling sad or worried, we can listen and not make fun of them.
Encourage people to get help when they need it, like talking to a doctor, counselor, or trusted adult.
If more people do these things, it becomes easier and safer for everyone to talk about mental health.
**If you are struggling or need help call 360-426-5755 to set an appointment with your Behavioral Health Department.
