Mental Health Awareness Week is May 13-19

May 08, 2024
Faculty and Staff Students University Updates

May 13-19 is Mental Health Awareness week! Many cultures may ignore mental health concerns, and many people may feel shame around asking for help for themselves or a loved one. Yet mental health issues are extremely common, with 23.1% of adults experiencing a mental health condition in 2022, and 33.7% of young adults estimated to be experiencing a mental health condition. Mental illness can take a toll on the physical health, earning power, and practical supports of those who have it.

For those of us without a specific mental illness, it is just as important to keep up our mental health so that we can cope with stress, do the things we love, and support the people we care about. Mental healthcare is for everyone. Caring for our mental health can improve lives and may even save a life!

During this week, let's all remember to take good care of our mental health, and support our loved ones to do the same! How can you help to observe this month? We invite you to pay special attention to caring for yourself and building good mental health habits:

You can reach out to your support system, and you can be a support for others.
You can take care of your physical needs by eating enough, moving enough and getting enough sleep.
You can use the free Counseling Services at the Health and Counseling Center (Coors Room 114), or other services in the community. You can visit our website for more information and resources: Counseling Services | Regis University
You can reach out to crisis resources (call 911 or 988) if you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health emergency.
You can use the Wisdo app to get peer support around mental health issues and other sources of stress: PAS-LP (wisdo.com)
You can get support either as a person living with mental illness or as a friend or family member of someone living with mental illness by visiting the National Alliance on Mental Illness: www.NAMI.org

Thank you for taking a few moments to read about Mental Health Awareness Week! Caring for mental health is caring for the whole person!

Your team at the Counseling Center,

Mayra, Monica, Richie, Sara and Dannell

Sources

Duszynski Goodman, L. (2024, February 2). Mental health statistics and facts. (L. Henderson, Ed.)Forbes Health. Retrieved May 7, 2024, from https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/mental-health-statistics/.

Mental Health Statistics And Facts

www.forbes.com

McGinty EE, Presskreischer R, Breslau J, Brown JD, Domino ME, Druss BG, Horvitz-Lennon M, Murphy KA, Pincus HA, Daumit GL. Improving Physical Health Among People With Serious Mental Illness: The Role of the Specialty Mental Health Sector. Psychiatr Serv. 2021 Nov 1;72(11):1301-1310. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202000768. Epub 2021 Jun 2. PMID: 34074150; PMCID: PMC8570967. Retrieved 5/7/24 from url:

Improving physical health among people with serious mental illness: The role of the specialty mental health sector - PMC (nih.gov)

Issue brief. (2008, May 7). White House .Gov. Retrieved May 7, 2024, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2022/05/31/reducing-the-economic-burden-of-unmet-mental-health-needs/.

Reducing the Economic Burden of Unmet Mental Health Needs | CEA | The White House

It is vital to understand the full costs of the mental health crisis affecting our nation. Left untreated, mental health disorders affect the well-being of children, adults, families, and communities—both because of the emotional costs as well as the economic ramifications. These disorders were already too common before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pandemic magnified…