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MAY is Mental Health Month --Things to
Know
Mental
illnesses:
o
Are medical conditions
that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to
relate to others, and daily ability to function. Just as
diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are
medical conditions that often result in a diminished
capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.
o
Can affect persons of
any age, race, religion, or income.
o
Mental illnesses are not
the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor
upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable.
o
Most people diagnosed
with a serious mental illness can experience relief from
their symptoms by actively participating in an individual
treatment plan.
Stigma
o
Mental Illness is a
biological based brain disorders. They cannot be overcome
through “will power” and are not related to a person’s
“character” or intelligence.
o
Mental health problems
are painful—emotionally, spiritually and socially—especially
for children and adolescents.
o
Words that make fun of
mental health create a sense of shame, feelings of guilt and
loss of self-esteem.
o
Children and adolescents
exposed to such a negative view of themselves feel rejected,
lonely and isolated. For a child with a mental health
problem, this "stigma" is often the greatest barrier to a
complete and satisfying life.
Prevalence
o
One in four
adults—approximately 57.7 million Americans— experience a
mental health disorder in a given year.
o
Half of all lifetime
cases of mental illness begin by age 14, three quarters by
age 24.
o
The World Health
Organization has reported that four of the 10 leading causes
of disability in the US and other developing countries are
mental disorder.
Cost
o
In the U.S., the annual
economic, indirect cost of mental illnesses is estimated to
be $79 billion.
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