The month of May is designated as Mental Health Awareness Month. People with mental illnesses combat stigma, give aid, inform the media, and campaign for policies that benefit people with mental illnesses and their families every year. Students and teens are confronted with the fact of dealing with a mental disorder every day of their lives every year. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a major effect on people of all ages’ mental health. It is more important than ever before to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues, as this stigma also prohibits people from finding treatment and reaching out for help.

It is important to reach out to friends and family to ensure they are okay and making a change surrounding such a big stigma. Reaching out can be as simple as sending a small text, writing a letter, or posting on social media. Mental health is more than depression or anxiety.

Some great resources to educate, spread awareness and support mental health include:

• @realdepressionproject on Instagram, The Depression Project focuses on spreading information by making simple posts that can be posted on stories and sent to friends to help educate and advocate for mental health.   

• @happinessproject on Instagram, Happiness Project is a clothing brand determined to raise awareness and help fund mental health research, 15% of profits go directly to research. 

• @hopefortheday on Instagram, hftd.org, Hope For The Day is “a non-profit movement empowering the conversation on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education.” Hope For The Day helps educating against mental health stigma by educating others by spreading “IT’S OK TO NOT BE OK.” The HFTD website has resources to get educated, involved, and find help and resources locally.

•  Mhanational.org, Mental Health America is a national level non-profit “driven by its commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services for all; early identification and intervention for those at risk; integrated care, services, and supports for those who need them; with recovery as the goal.” MHA has provided 8 million mental health screenings, reached 31 million people through public education systems, and has raised 1,265,845 dollars towards mental health programs. 

• mentalhealth.gov is the U.S Government’s website that strives to educate and help guide those combating mental health issues and those surrounded by mental health issues.

• Nami.org is a great resource to educate, find help, and help teach others. NAMI offers a wide variety of resources like infographics and hosting webinars that can help youth and adults alike. NAMI often holds webinars to help educate others on how to help mental health. 

• Shadow Ridge’s school counselors are great to reach out to, they can provide help and relief to any who may need support or have any struggles. They can be contacted through email, or through the canvas mentorship module where students can join their counselors’ office hours or schedule a virtual meeting. The school counselors are here to help.

During this month don’t be afraid to speak up, help others, and get educated. Although Mental Health Awareness Month is only in May the knowledge shared and learned could help save a life. Mental health is so important and it’s important to be a part of the group that breaks the stigma. If needed hotlines are provided at www.pleaselive.org/hotlines. The Crisis Text Line can be reached at anytime crisistextline.org/text-us.