What is Mental Illness Awareness Week?
This week was created by the Canadian Psychiatric Association and is now coordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) with partner organizations and supporters across Canada.
Each year, Canadians come together to celebrate Mental Illness Awareness Week. It occurs during the first week of October.
Mental Illness Awareness Week is a public education campaign to raise awareness of the barriers people face when seeking support, fight discrimination, and provide support to those impacted directly or indirectly by mental health challenges.
Mental health advocates and organizations come together to host events and act as a unified voice for systemic change for those with mental health challenges. It is designed to open the public's eyes to the devastating impacts of mental illness.
2024 is no different. During the 2024 year, Mental Illness Awareness Week will be observed from October 6th to October 12th, 2024. The theme for this year is Access for All: Time for Action, Time for Change.
This campaign aims to create a nation where everyone has access to mental health and substance use resources in a timely manner and without barriers.
Why is Mental Illness Awareness Week Important?
In any given year, ⅕ of us will be directly affected by a mental illness. By the time we are 40, half of us will have experienced a mental illness.
Even more important to note is that each and every single one of us will be affected by mental illness, whether it be through ourselves or someone we love.
Despite this, there is a large gap between those who need care and those who are getting the care they need.
A report from Statistics Canada in 2018 shows that of the 5.6 million Canadians aged 15 and older that need support, only 56.2% reported that their needs were fully met. One of the barriers is cost.
This is why it is more important for all of us to come together to develop a strategy that makes sure that everyone has their needs met. Mental Illness Awareness Week allows us to do just that.
Moreover, Canadians believe in meeting people's needs. In a survey by CAMIMH, it was found that having publicly funded mental health care services is important to 90 percent of Canadians.
The 2024 theme pushes for what Canadians want and need—real action so that mental and substance use health services are provided to all Canadians.
This work not only creates awareness, but it also saves lives. When people get their needs met and their protective factors increase, the risk of suicide reduces.
Myths and Facts About Mental Illness
Mental Illness Awareness Week is also a great time to address the myths about mental illness and work toward destigmatizing mental illness as a society.
Here are 5 myths and facts about mental illness:
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Myth #1: Those with a mental illness are violent.
- Fact #1: People with mental health challenges are no more likely to be violent than those without mental health challenges. In fact, people with mental health challenges are far more likely to be the victims of crime than the perpetrators. Moreover, only 3%–5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness.
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Myth #2: Mental illness is a character flaw.
- Fact #2: Mental illness is a complex health issue that stems from a multitude of factors. They are not the result of being weak or lazy. Some causes of mental illness include genetics, traumatic life experiences, and brain chemistry.
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Myth #3: Mental illness can't affect me.
- Fact #3: Many people believe that if they take care of their health, mental illness can't impact them, but this simply isn't true. Mental illness doesn't discriminate. It can impact anyone of any socioeconomic background.
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Myth #4: People who experience mental illness can't work.
- Fact #4: Mental illness looks different for everyone. Just like with any other health condition, some people will not be able to work, and some will. In fact, you may not even realize how many individuals you work with that are dealing with a mental illness. Some people even benefit from working to support their goals and keep a sense of belonging.
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Myth #5: It's obvious when someone has a mental illness.
- Fact #5: Contrary to popular belief, you usually can't tell who has or doesn't have a mental illness. Mental illness can be invisible. Some people with a mental health challenge can go to work or school and interact with others. This is especially true with the right support system. People may also hide their mental health challenges due to the stigma associated with them.
How to Observe Mental Illness Awareness Week
There is no right or wrong way for you to take action to support this important awareness week.
If you are stuck coming up with ideas, here are some common ones:
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Donate to YMHC: As a registered community-based, youth-driven, and educator-led charitable non-profit organization, we have a strong focus on young people, family, school, and community engagement. We are not government- or grant-supported, so we rely on donations from community members to keep our services and programs going. Creating your own fundraiser is also an opportunity to get community members involved.
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Host awareness events: Organize an event in your community or virtually to educate people on mental illness and the need for additional preventive support. You can distribute flyers and posters on mental illness to improve public awareness.
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Watch videos: Our Youth Voice, Youth Hope documentary includes narratives from students with lived experiences and highlights key statistics and actions needed to support those with mental health challenges.
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Develop peer support programs in schools or your workplace: Trained students or employees lead discussions and activities around coping with mental health challenges and the ways you take action.
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Share on social media: Social media can be a powerful tool for spreading awareness. Billions of people use these platforms each day. You can share your story, an event, a petition for change, or other pieces of content that promote positive change for those living with mental health challenges.
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Share resources: One barrier to accessing mental health support is the difficulty with navigating the mental health system. You can support people in finding the resources they need by sharing mini pamphlets with support for navigating the system.
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Take care of yourself: In order to take care of others, you need to take care of yourself first. If you are an advocate or someone else who is taking part in awareness campaigns, make sure you take time to rest. After all, you need to show yourself that your mental health is important and model this for those you advocate for.
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Check in on others: Ask your friends, colleagues, and family members how they are doing this week. A check-in may not seem like much, but some people benefit from people checking in and showing they care. Community care like this is a protective factor against suicide and mental health challenges.
What Activities Can Support You With Your Mental Health
Each of us has mental health. It is important to take care of your mental health, regardless of whether you have a mental illness or not.
Taking part in daily activities that promote mental health can act as a preventive measure against mental illness.
Here are some ways you can support your mental health:
- Nature walks
- Eating balanced meals
- Make sure to get an adequate amount of sleep
- Stay connected with others
- Read a book
- Drink herbal teas
- Take breaks when needed
- Journal
- Meditate
- Deep breathing
- Gratitude
- Get a massage
- Have an outdoor picnic
- Watch the stars at night
- Watch a movie
- Light a candle
- Go for an outdoor hike
- Do a puzzle
YMHC Resources for Mental Illness Awareness Week
Youth Mental Health Canada (YMHC) is committed to supporting those who live with mental illness. Here are some of the resources we offer:
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Mental Wellness Workbooks: Our mental wellness workbooks are designed to help individuals build resilience and coping strategies. These workbooks incorporate evidence-based practices and are available in multiple formats. Explore our workbooks.
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Mental Health Booklets: These booklets are designed to support you in developing a plan for wellness, challenging your negative thoughts, navigating stress, and understanding your feelings. Explore our booklets.
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Multilingual Posters: Mental health slogans are a great way to promote mental wellness and spread positivity. You can order these mental wellness posters in multiple languages to support your own wellness or the wellbeing of your community.
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Workshops and Presentations: YMHC offers workshops and presentations tailored to various audiences, including students, parents, educators, and community organizations. These sessions cover topics such as mental health, substance use prevention, and coping strategies. Request a workshop.
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Merch: We have a variety of products to send mental wellness gifts to someone you care about or purchase for your entire school community. We have t-shirts, sweaters, dog bandanas, cups, stickers, buttons, stuffed animals, coffee mugs, pillows, notebooks, and more. You can select from products with the YMHC logo, animal puns, Every Child Matters, or customize your own product.
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Training Courses: Our training courses provide in-depth knowledge and skills to support individuals with mental health challenges and substance use disorders. Learn more about our training courses.
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Crisis list: If you are in a crisis, find support through various external crisis lines.
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Support services: We offer various support services, including counseling and peer support programs, the heart-to-heart campaign, and daily messages of support to help individuals and families navigate mental health and substance use challenges.
Using these resources and participating in Mental Illness Awareness Week activities will significantly impact those with mental health challenges.
We can work to create hope for those struggling, challenge the stigma associated with mental illness and related deaths, and save lives.
Together, we can advocate for action to create meaningful systemic changes.