Mental Health
Whether we have a mental illness such as depression, know someone who has experienced such a problem or neither, we need to care about the issue of mental health. After all, we all have ‘mental health.’
When our ‘mental health’ is poor, it can be difficult to function in our daily lives. It is a fluid state with disability and untreated illness at one end, and recovery and complete wellness at the other end.
However, most of us take our ‘mental health’ for granted. After all, since it’s such a basic, yet unseen, part of who we are, it doesn’t seem to merit a lot of thought compared to everything else going on in our lives or in the world.
But the reality is that all of us live with daily threats to our ‘mental health.’ Whatever the source of the threat, how able we are to deal with these challenges can positively or negatively impact our ‘mental health,’ overall health and well-being.
When considering all the ways it can affect each of us and our society, the issue of ‘mental health’ amounts to the largest public health and economic concern in the country.
When our ‘mental health’ is poor, it can be difficult to function in our daily lives. It is a fluid state with disability and untreated illness at one end, and recovery and complete wellness at the other end.
However, most of us take our ‘mental health’ for granted. After all, since it’s such a basic, yet unseen, part of who we are, it doesn’t seem to merit a lot of thought compared to everything else going on in our lives or in the world.
But the reality is that all of us live with daily threats to our ‘mental health.’ Whatever the source of the threat, how able we are to deal with these challenges can positively or negatively impact our ‘mental health,’ overall health and well-being.
When considering all the ways it can affect each of us and our society, the issue of ‘mental health’ amounts to the largest public health and economic concern in the country.
Outreach Ideas
-Awareness with Role play
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/literatureofprescription/education/educationAssets/digitalDocsPDFs/health/Mental_Health_Awareness_Project.pdf
-Preventing college suicide
www.americannursetoday.com/saving-lives-preventing-suicide/
-Awareness through Art
http://news.deviantart.com/article/28382/
Put it into Practice & Become a Mental Health Nurse
www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3292
Additional Material
National Mental Health Awareness Campaign is an organization working to utilize the student voice to change the conversation about mental health on college campuses by developing and supporting chapters of a student-run mental health awareness, education, and advocacy group on campuses.
Mental Health America is the leading advocacy organization addressing the full spectrum of mental and substance use conditions and their effects nationwide, works to inform, advocate and enable access to quality behavioral health services for all Americans.
National Alliance on Mental Illness is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI is able to build on its success and continue to focus on three cornerstones of activity that offer hope, reform, and health to our American community: Awareness, Education, and Advocacy.
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration was established in 1992 and directed by Congress to target effectively substance abuse and mental health services to the people most in need and to translate research in these areas more effectively and more rapidly into the general health care system.
WHO's Project Atlas of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse is designed to collect, compile and disseminate data on mental health and neurology resources in the world.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has a mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.
Materials
Need to know how to support mentally ill patients, know the signs of stress, recognize depression, or care for the caretaker? Find it all here:
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-information
Want some information for students with disabilities or who may need some extra help? Check out this resource from Reviews.com about tutoring services.
www.reviews.com/online-tutoring/#tutoring_disabilities
Articles
Do more for 1 in 4
http://blog.samhsa.gov/2011/05/05/may-is-mental-health-month-let’s-do-more-for-1-in-4/
Silent No More
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Faith/FaithNet_Newsletter/Silent_No_More_Mental_Health_Month.htm
Local Resources
Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership
http://www.masspartnership.com
-Awareness with Role play
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/literatureofprescription/education/educationAssets/digitalDocsPDFs/health/Mental_Health_Awareness_Project.pdf
-Preventing college suicide
www.americannursetoday.com/saving-lives-preventing-suicide/
-Awareness through Art
http://news.deviantart.com/article/28382/
Put it into Practice & Become a Mental Health Nurse
www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3292
Additional Material
National Mental Health Awareness Campaign is an organization working to utilize the student voice to change the conversation about mental health on college campuses by developing and supporting chapters of a student-run mental health awareness, education, and advocacy group on campuses.
Mental Health America is the leading advocacy organization addressing the full spectrum of mental and substance use conditions and their effects nationwide, works to inform, advocate and enable access to quality behavioral health services for all Americans.
National Alliance on Mental Illness is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI is able to build on its success and continue to focus on three cornerstones of activity that offer hope, reform, and health to our American community: Awareness, Education, and Advocacy.
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration was established in 1992 and directed by Congress to target effectively substance abuse and mental health services to the people most in need and to translate research in these areas more effectively and more rapidly into the general health care system.
WHO's Project Atlas of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse is designed to collect, compile and disseminate data on mental health and neurology resources in the world.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has a mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.
Materials
Need to know how to support mentally ill patients, know the signs of stress, recognize depression, or care for the caretaker? Find it all here:
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-information
Want some information for students with disabilities or who may need some extra help? Check out this resource from Reviews.com about tutoring services.
www.reviews.com/online-tutoring/#tutoring_disabilities
Articles
Do more for 1 in 4
Silent No More
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Faith/FaithNet_Newsletter/Silent_No_More_Mental_Health_Month.htm
Local Resources
Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership
http://www.masspartnership.com
