If you haven’t already heard by now, May is Mental Health Awareness Month! We think mental health month should be EVERY month, but I digress… Here are some of our top choices for organizations who led stellar campaigns this month to draw lots of attention towards understanding mental health disorders and their impact in our communities:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, aka NAMI, is the United State’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
After a few parents decided to band together around a Midwest kitchen table in 1979, the organization has grown to hundreds of chapters nationwide.
Throughout this month, they have:
- Offered resources to spread the message via social media
- Offered ideas for outreach activities you can do in your communities, include sample press releases and templates for Letters to the Editor
- Ways to donate to NAMI to further their mission
- And a place where you can share your story to help others know they are not alone
Can the dissemination of science be the answer to misunderstanding and stigma? The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, a federal grant making program that funds research to discover, understand and treat neurological disorders has launched the #ScienceStopsStigma program. Throughout the month of May, BBRF will share messages via social media to debunk myths and share real facts and statistics on their research findings.
Follow them with #ScienceStopsStigma and #MHMonth2015!
You still have a chance to download their outreach toolkit and spread the word.
Even some great brands are getting in on some of the action. Philosophy, in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has committed to donating 1% of their proceeds to over 100 community-based mental health organizations nationwide with their hope & grace program. Their ultimate goal is to “provide direct access and support to 1 million women in the next 5 years”!
Go to nami.org to take the pledge and use hashtag #iamstigmafree to spread the word!
The power of our social networks truly has the power to change lives. It’s definitely not too late to still make a difference this month. Explore some of the resources above and use the next week to leverage your networks throughout Mental Health Awareness Month for these much-needed programs!