May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Every year since its designation in 1949, organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA) and others across the United States, have worked tirelessly to spread the word that mental health impacts everyone.

This year NAMI is launching the “More than Enough” awareness campaign to uplift and empower the mental health community. The goal is to affirm that everyone is inherently worthy of life, love and healing-no matter what they look like, no matter where they are in their journeys and no matter what they are or are not able to do.

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, and less than half of them receive treatment.
• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experiences a serious mental illness each year, and less than two-thirds receive treatment.
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth experiences a mental health condition each year, and only half of them receive treatment.
• 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
• The average delay between the onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years.
• 160 million people live in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas
• In 2020, 1 in 5 young people reported that the pandemic had a significant negative impact on their mental health.
• 1 in 10 young people under age 18 experienced a mental health condition following a COVID-19 diagnosis.
• In 2020, there was a 31% increase in mental health-related emergency department visits among adolescents.
• More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) say they are not content with the state of mental health treatment in this country. People with mental health conditions are even more likely to say they are unhappy with mental health treatment (82%).
• 65% of Americans are concerned about the stigma around mental illness.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information or questions, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Health website.