Mental Illness Awareness Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) (also known as Mental Health Awareness Week) was established in 1990[1] by the U.S. Congress in recognition of efforts by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to educate and increase awareness about mental illness. It takes place every year during the first full week of October. During this week, mental health advocates and organizations across the U.S. join to sponsor events to promote community outreach and public education concerning mental illnesses such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Examples of activities held during the week include art/music events, educational sessions provided by healthcare professionals, advertising campaigns, health fairs, movie nights, candlelight vigils, and benefit runs.

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older—about one in four adults—suffer from a diagnosable mental illness in any given year.[2] Not only are these adults affected by one mental illness; 45% of these adults meet criteria for two or more disorders.[3] These range from fairly common mood disorders to the much more serious anxiety and schizophrenia disorders. Among these, anxiety disorders were the most common, as some 40 million American adults ages 18 and older suffer from some form of anxiety disorder.[4] Despite the large number of Americans affected by such disorders, stigma surrounding mental illness is a major barrier that prevents people from seeking the mental health treatment that they need.[5] Programs during Mental Illness Awareness Week are designed to create community awareness and discussion in an effort to put an end to stigma and advocate for treatment and recovery.

Mental Illness Awareness Week coincides with similar organization campaigns in early October such as World Mental Health Day[6] (World Federation for Mental Health), National Depression Screening Day[7] (Screening for Mental Health), and National Day Without Stigma[8] (Active Minds).

See also


  1. ↑ http://www.nami.org/miaw/
  2. ↑ "NIMH: The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America". Pps.nimh.nih.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  3. ↑ http://www.techtimes.com/articles/7628/20140527/1-4-u-s-adults-suffer-diagnosable-mental-disorder-given.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.techtimes.com/articles/7628/20140527/1-4-u-s-adults-suffer-diagnosable-mental-disorder-given.htm
  5. ↑ "Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (1999)". Surgeongeneral.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  6. ↑ World Mental Health Day Archived September 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "National Depression Screening Day". Mentalhealthscreening.org. 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  8. ↑ National Day Without Stigma

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