MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH No. 1 5.1.23

What is Mental Health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected.

What is Mental Illness?

A disorder that can cause psychological and behavioral disturbances with varying severities.

Symptoms : Symptoms include confusion, depression, social withdrawal, extreme feelings of pleasure, anger, excitement, fear or grief.

Causes : Causes include long term substance abuse, prenatal damage to brain, injury to brain, exposure to toxins, infection, etc.

Treatment : Treatments include combinations of medication, psychotherapy, peer support and sometimes, hospitalization in severe cases.

Fast Facts

1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14