As explained on the Balance Treatment Center site, the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that each year there are more than 43.8 million people who are affected by mental health disorders. Nevertheless, less than half of them who suffer will look for professional help and there are a lot of them who only do it more than ten years after the condition appeared.
There are a lot of people with mental disorders who are too shy to admit that they suffer from the disorder so that they are too shy to come to an expert to treat it as well. So, the thing that we have to do now is to tell others about mental health awareness. It is done to decrease mental illness, to motivate people with mental disorders not to be shy to be treated and to educate other people to help them not to judge them.
So, here are several things that we are able to do to promote mental health awareness in the community according to the Balance Treatment Center.
You Have to Talk About Mental Health Issues Openly
It is challenging when someone needs to live with a mental health disorder. It is because they have to suffer from the symptoms of the illness and they also have to deny or hide their struggles. Of course, it is not a good thing for them to ignore and hide it. So, the thing that we can do to promote mental health awareness to people is that we can talk openly about someone’s battles with mental health and ask after and listen genuinely to your family and friends’ responses. By doing it, it can, in turn, encourage them to speak out about their symptoms and emotions and possibly look for help.
You Must Educate Yourself and Others on the Symptoms of Mental Illness
There are a lot of people with mental illness and they really struggle for it and they refuse to ask for help. The reason is because they do not want to be felt sorry for. Not only that, the problem is that people tend to belittle those who have mental health illness.
If other people and you understand and teach people about the causes, symptoms, and treatments for mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, it can better equip yourself and others to discuss the issues in a supportive way.
Here are some possible warning signs of a developing mental illness.
- There are mood changes.
- There is antisocial behaviour.
- There are changes in sleep and eating patterns.
- Those with mental health disorders may have constant sadness.
If you see these symptoms in someone, the thing that you can do is to talk to them about what they are feeling and then motivate them to get help from a specialist.
You Must Practice Kindness and Compassion
People with mental illness are usually described as ‘wacko’ or ‘loony’. Of course, it is not a good thing because actually, they need compassion and kindness, not ridicule.
The thing that we are able to do is to teach children and teenagers to respect their peers and people who do not behave the same way they do. This teaching must be brought to their heart and exercise compassion to the people with mental illness and also everyone that they meet.
You Can Take Part and Share a Free Mental Health Screening
There may be a lot of people out there who have mental health issues, but they may hesitate to go to a specialist to diagnose it. Then, the thing that we can do is to take a mental health screening quiz and then we can share it on social media. By doing it, it can motivate other people including people with mental illness to do the same.
You Can Take Part or Volunteer in Awareness Events
Every year, National Mental Health month starts on the first of May. It is marked by increased local and online awareness events. If you become a volunteer or take part in mental health events or maybe you just share the events online, it can motivate others to get involved in learning more about mental health issues.
You Can Take a Holistic Approach to Help Improve the Mental Wellbeing of Yourself and People Around You
To improve the awareness of people about mental illness is not only about teaching people. However, we also need to make a positive and lasting impact. It can be done by motivating people around you to practice self-care or by helping them focus on their physical health through exercise and healthy eating habits.
You Can Leverage Your Social Media
Now, it seems that almost all people around the world have social media. So, you can leverage your social media to educate other people about mental illness. You may be able to write about the symptoms, treatments, sharing your mental health screening quiz as explained earlier and many more. You are able to post slogans or quotes about mental health everyday on your social media with the aim not only to motivate people with mental illness to struggle and not to give up, but also to persuade other people to find more information about mental health and also to instill empathy to people with mental illness.
Here are some examples of slogans that you may want to post on social media.
- To be healthy as a whole, mental wellness plays a role
- Money is important but not more than your mental health
- Mental health is preserved wealth
- Mental health first money second
- No discrimination in mental health
- Daily stress can leave your health a mess
- A healthy mind, is the greatest treasure to find
- Mental illness is not a personal failure
- There is no shame in taking medication for mental illness, do whatever works for you
- Never do something which exploits your mental peace
- Ignoring mental illness is a big blunder
- Never hide mental illness
- Love and care is a solution for mental illness
- A healthy mind is an asset
- Good friends kick out mental illness
- Mental health: stop exclusion, dare to care
- Let’s accept it as a medical condition and not as a social stigma
- True suffering is being trapped in your own head
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
