May is Mental Health Month

Openness by Friends, Family, Celebrities Reduces Stigma of Mental Illness

May is Mental Health Month – a time to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all.  This year’s theme is social connectedness, emphasizing the important role of social relationships in maintaining and improving mental health.

There are many ways of creating connections that support mental health:
    • Get connected to family and friends to feel close and supported.
    • Get connected to your community to feel a sense of belonging and 
        purpose.
    • Get connected to professional help to feel better when you’re
        stressed and having trouble coping.

More information and resources for Mental Health Month available from the Mental Health America.
  
Stigma associated with mental illnesses continues, though more than a third of Americans surveyed on behalf of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) said that, in their view, stigma has declined, and openness about personal experiences by friends, family and public figures was influential.
 
Increased openness about personal experience with mental illnesses on the part of friends and family members was identified by most respondents (79 percent) as at least moderately influential in reducing the stigma sometimes associated with mental illnesses, according to the online survey conducted for the APA by Harris Interactive among 2,285 adults age 18 and older.* Other factors at least moderately influential are:

• the increase in the amount of mental health information available online, 75 percent

• accurate portrayals of mental illnesses on television and in movies, 72 percent

• public figures or celebrities talking about their experiences with mental illnesses, 71 percent

• social networking sites related to the topic of mental illnesses, 61 percent

When asked how concerned they are about the possibility that they would ever be diagnosed with a mental disorder, 38 percent were at least somewhat concerned while 48 percent said they were at least somewhat concerned for a family member.

Two-thirds of Americans surveyed agree that people with mental illnesses can get better.

The APA conducted the survey as part of its Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives. campaign, which was established  to improve understanding of mental illnesses, psychiatry and successful treatment options, as well as to reduce the stigma sometimes associated with seeking mental health care.