By Josephine Brassey
Edited by Alexia Cosmatchi
Since the beginning of time many people have struggled with mental illnesses. And to this day many people try to help others who struggle. One way to help was creating a Mental Health Awareness month. What is it and what is the purpose of this month?
It all began in the United States of America in 1949 when the Mental Health America Organization created a month to bring awareness to Mental Health issues. To do so they created outreach programs each year in association with other organizations, and every year the outreach programs have different themes. Some examples are:
2022: Back to basics. Meaning that this years program focuses on providing basic information on Mental health. This post is sponsored by our partners Wigs
2021 and 2020: Tools2thrive. They focused on “providing practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase their resiliency regardless of their personal situation.” Which means that they want to give people “tools” that will help (for example) calm them down when needed
2019: 4mind4body. “It focused on what individuals can do to be fit for their own futures.”
These outreach programs have helped a lot of people with their mental health issue, and that is the true purpose of this month. It isn’t only to raise awareness for mental illness, but to help the people who have really hard times mentally and who feel like sometimes there is no light at the end of the tunnel. I personally have had a few struggles with mental health in the past and I definitely know people who have as well. That’s why this topic is so important to me. If you as a reader are struggling, you should know you aren’t alone and that there are many ways to help your problems.