The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. There has always, for as long as I can remember, been a certain taboo on talking about mental health issues. These weren’t things that should be spoken of, especially out in public. I am glad to see that we are trying to normalize these conversations.
Here are some mental health stats taken from Mental Health America. Did you know:
- Nearly 1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year
- 46 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, and half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14
Did you know that mental health illnesses include:
- Anxiety
- Addiction/Subtance Use disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia
- Suicidal thoughts
When I found out that Oprah and Prince Harry were producing and getting ready to release a new documentary series on mental health, I knew it needed to be shared. If you have Apple+ TV then you’ll have no issues finding the new series set to launch on May 21st. The new series called, The Me You Can’t See, features high-profile guests along with mental health experts. The participants include San Antonio Spurs DeMar DeRozan, Phoenix Suns’ Langston Galloway (formerly of the Detroit Pistons), Olympic boxer Virginia “Ginny” Fuchs, celebrity chef Rashad Armstead, Lady Gaga, Glenn Close, and more.
USA Today quotes Winfrey as saying, “Now more than ever, there is an immediate need to replace the shame surrounding mental health with wisdom, compassion, and honesty,” Winfrey said in the release. “Our series aims to spark that global conversation.”
“We are born into different lives, brought up in different environments, and as a result are exposed to different experiences. But our shared experience is that we are all human,” said The Duke of Sussex in the release. “The majority of us carry some form of unresolved trauma, loss, or grief, which feels—and is—very personal. Yet the last year has shown us that we are all in this together, and my hope is that this series will show there is power in vulnerability, connection in empathy, and strength in honesty.”
(If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health issues please reach out to someone. Mental Health America has some great information and resources such as tool kits, and warmline phone numbers)
