It is a new day, and a new month!

MAY ~ 2017

The month of MAY is Mental Health Awareness Month.  One in four people have a mental health illness.  This is a topic that deserves more focus than it gets.

This year for May is Mental Health Month, MHA (Mental Health America) is talking about "Risky Business".  MHA believes it's important to educate people about habits and behaviors that increase the risk of developing or exacerbating mental illnesses, or could be signs of mental health problems themselves. These include risk factors such as risky sex, prescription drug misuse, internet addiction, excessive spending, marijuana use, and troublesome exercise patterns.

There are tools and resources that have been put together to help individuals and communities to raise awareness of the risks that these types of behaviors present—especially to young people—and help people who may be struggling to detect early warning signs and seek help early, before Stage 4.

You can find out more by visiting the Mental Health America Website.  Here is some of what you will find inside . . .

FOR ORGANIZATIONS:

There is a complete 2017 MHM Toolkit available.  By using the toolkit materials, you will help members of your community:

• Understand how certain seemingly common behaviors are risk factors for, or indicators of mental health or substance use disorders;
• Start talking about mental health Before Stage 4;
• Assess their own mental health through use of MHA's screening tools; and 
• Share their perceptions of when a behavior becomes risky, learn about the perceptions of others, and learn about accepted guidelines for when a behavior becomes indicative of a mental health or substance use disorder by taking the "What's Too Far"" quiz.

There are Media materials available, as well as Social Media and Web components.  You'll also be able to find Fact Sheets and other handouts.

The Fact Sheets cover Risky Business areas such as Marijuana use, Prescription Drug Misuse, Exercise extremes, Sex, Compulsive Buying, and Internet Addiction.

Find our more by visiting the MHA Website.

You can also discover what people say mental illness feels like. . .

From Twitter:

"People with mental health issues reveal how their invisible illnesses can make them seem rude"

"Some days just feel heavy. Like I'm absorbing all the world's sadness.  I'll be ok at some point but atm im just not #mentalillnessfeelslike"

Visit this link:  http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/feelslike

Don't keep mental illness to yourself.  There is power in sharing...

#mentalillnessfeelslike

Please keep the topic of mental illness in the forefront this month as you go about your daily travels.  It is a topic worth discussing and writing about.

Dear friends,

Thank you for following this Blog ~ Be blessed!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved