Mental Illness Awareness Week
October 7, 2012 - October 13, 2012
Many adults will suffer from a diagnosible mental disorder in their lifetime, and about 6 percent of adults, or 1 in 17, suffer from a serious mental illness. Many individuals will not seek help, often because of the stigma still associated with having a mental illness. However, treatment is available, treatment works, and with appropriate treatment, recovery from even serious mental illness is possible.
The first full week of October marks Mental Illness Awareness Week. Established in 1990 by the U.S. Congress, the commemoration seeks to raise awareness about mental illness and its effects on individuals and families. Each year, nearly 50 million Americans will experience a mental disorder. During this week, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, clients and advocates throughout the nation offer public information and education programs on mental illness, and spread the message mental illnesses are as important as other illnesses, treatment is available, and it works.
(contributed by SC Department of Mental Health)
National Depression Screening Day
October 11, 2012
National Depression Screening Day is also held each year on October 11, 2012.
Depression is a serious mental illness that negatively affects the way you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression has a variety of symptoms, but the most common are a deep feeling of sadness, or a marked loss of pleasure or interest in activities. Other symptoms include:
- Changes in appetite that result in weight losses or gains related to dieting
- Insomnia or oversleeping
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue
- Restlessness or irritability
- Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
- Difficulty in thinking, concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicide or attempts at suicide
Depression is common. It affects nearly one in ten adults each year- nearly twice as many women as men.. It's also important that depression can strike at any time, but on average, first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Depression is also common in older adults. Fortunately depression is very treatable.
Mental Health America of South Carolina offers a mental health screening tool online at its website
www.mha-sc.org throughout the year 24 hours a day seven days a week.
This screening tool is created by the National Depression Screening Day non-profit, yet offers screening questions for not just depression, but for generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and mood disorders (such as bi-polar disorder)
A list of mental health service providers is also located on the MHASC website at
www.mha-sc.org and we encourage you to call our office as well for further information and resources.
Our toll-free number is 1-866-929-6145.
To call the National Suicide Hotline, call 1-800-273- TALK, also 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Visit our mental health screening site today at:
http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/MHASOUTHCAROLINA
