Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This is a time to end the stigma around mental health and work towards breaking down the barriers that exist that prevent people from getting proper help. Different organizations are hosting their own campaigns and themes to work towards the shared goal of improving the mental health of everyone.
The American Suicide Prevention Foundation’s (AFSP) theme is #MentalHealth4All. They will be hosting numerous events online (see calendar below). The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) is continuing their message of “You Are Not Alone” which is even more relevant during the pandemic, as we have had to quarantine and isolate this past year. Mental Health America (MHA) is focusing on “Tools 2 Thrive” and how we can use those to help our mental health and thrive.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is hosting the National Prevention Week May 9-15th. Their primary goals are community involvement, partner engagement, and resource sharing. Each day there is a different daily theme to focus on the issues related to mental health and substance abuse. Those themes include preventing prescription drug and opioid misuse; preventing underage drinking and alcohol misuse; preventing illicit drug use and youth marijuana use; preventing youth tobacco use; and preventing suicide.
At Sean’s Legacy, our mission is to support LGBTQ+ youth and prevent suicide. We know that for a number of different reasons, mental health issues disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ youth and adults. According to NAMI, “lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth” and additionally “transgender adults are nearly twelve times more likely to attempt suicide than the general popuation” (NAMI, 2021).
If you’re also passionate about these issues, check out the more than a dozen events on the calendar below to see how you can get involved this month. Together we can improve mental health, provide access to support for mental health, break down the barriers that prevent people from receiving appropriate care, and prevent suicide.
Resources:
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Chat online at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
Trevor Project
Call 1-866-488-7386
Text START to 678-678
Chat online at: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help-now/
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741
More information: https://www.crisistextline.org
Use these hashtags all month long to join the conversation: #MentalHealth4All #YouAreNotAlone #MHAM #NotAlone #MentalHealthMonth #Tools2Thrive #MentalHealthMonth #MHM2021
Calendar:
May 3-5th: Better Together Mental Health Storytelling Summit (Register here)
May 4th at 3-4 pm ET: Advocacy 101 Webinar (Register here)
May 5th: World Maternal Mental Health Day
May 6th at 5-6 pm ET: #RealConvo Concert with Oxymorrons (Attend here)
May 7th: National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day
May 9-15th: SAMHSA National Prevention Week (Learn more)
→ Daily Themes:
May 10th: Preventing Prescription Drug and Opioid Misuse
May 11th: Preventing Underage Drinking and Alcohol Misuse
May 12th: Preventing Illicit Drug Use and Youth Marijuana Use
May 13th: Preventing Youth Tobacco Use
May 14th: Preventing Suicide
May 9-15th: National Women’s Health Week
May 11th at 4-5 pm ET: Ask Dr Jill (Attend here)
May 13th Mental Health Day of Action
May 13th at 12:30 pm ET: Instagram Live with Kripalu (Attend here)
May 14th at 2 pm ET: Elevating Voices for Long-Lasting Change, A Town Hall Series (Add to calendar)
May 14th: Day of Suicide Prevention
May 18th at 4:30-5:30 pm ET: Instagram Live: A Conversation with The Confess Project (Attend here)
May 18th at 6-7 pm ET: AFSP Research Award Presentation (Register Here)
May 19th at 3-4 pm ET: 9-8-8 / Crisis Line Webinar (Register Here)
May 19th at 7:30 pm ET: Lifesavers Gala 2021 (Learn more)
May 22nd: NAMIWalks Your Way: A United Day of Hope