Mental Illness Awareness Week
It is a beautiful week. It is Mental Illness Awareness Week! With 1 in 4 people affected, mental illness affects and impacts many families and lives.
What exactly is Mental Illness Awareness week?
Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) (also known asMental Health Awareness Week) was established in 1990 by the U.S. Congress in recognition of efforts by theNational 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 together to sponsor a variety of 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.
(Source: Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_Illness_Awareness_Week)
When Mental Illness Strikes Workshop
To commemorate Mental Illness Awareness Week, Defying Mental Illness is hosting a workshop, When Mental Illness Strikes on Saturday 11 October.
The theme of the workshop is Enough is Enough.
And that is precisely what we are saying, that enough is enough!
Enough of the stigma!
Enough of the shame!
Enough of the discrimination!
Enough of taboo!
Enough of the issues that come with mental illness!
Enough of the disease!
Plans are being finalized as we count towards the day. This workshop is the first of its kind nationally to be ever hosted in the United Kingdom and we are very excited.
A peer based Christian foundation workshop, we are offering delegates the opportunity to learn and share their experiences amongst professionals, those who have been/are currently challenged with mental illness, caregivers and leaders of those impacted/affected. The workshop is open to EVERYONE.
We will be focusing on practical steps that one can take in defying mental illness. It is often said preventative medicine is more cost effective in many ways than curative medicine.
Are there preventative measures you can take? If so, what are they? Are you a manager, a pastor? How do you deal with an unexpected mental health crisis? As a caregiver, who cares for you? What can you do to ensure safety in the home?
As we commemorate Mental Illness Awareness Week, we will talking about our upcoming seminar some more tomorrow. If you have any questions or comments, you are most welcome to post below.
See you on Saturday!
About The Author
