Mental Illness Awareness Week at R&A Therapeutic Partners
The week of October 3-9 is designated as a time to learn more about mental illness, and about how it can affect you and your family. During Mental Illness Awareness Week at R&A Therapeutic Partners, we want you to know that we care about your health and well-being. Help is here, as we work together for your mental health.
Together for Mental Health
The theme for Mental Illness Awareness Week for 2021 is “Together for Mental Health.” Virtually everyone is affected by mental illness, as millions of people in the US live with a mental health condition. The first week in October is set aside as a time to recognize what mental illness is and how individuals who suffer from it can get the help they need.
As part of the week’s observances, Thursday, October 7, has been designated as National Depression Screening Day. A screening is quick and simple and can help you determine how to move forward with managing your symptoms. The professionals at R&A Therapeutic Partners emphasize the importance of a mental health evaluation, along with a comprehensive substance misuse evaluation, that can identify areas that may require further assessment. This helps us to develop an appropriate treatment plan based on your specific needs.
Mental Illness in the US
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) shares numbers that emphasize the need for mental illness to be an open topic of discussion during Mental Illness Awareness Week and throughout the year. In the US each year:
- 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness
- 1 in 20 adults experience serious mental illness
- 1 in 6 youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder.
Specific conditions affecting adults in the US include:
- Anxiety Disorders: 48 million
- Major Depressive Episode: 19.4 million
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: 9 million
- Bipolar Disorder: 7 million
- Borderline Personality Disorder: 3.5 million
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: 3 million
- Schizophrenia: 1.5 million.
Learn About Mental Illness
Understanding more about mental illness can help reduce the stigma around the conditions themselves as well as the stigma around seeking treatment. The more you know about the symptoms you are experiencing, the more likely you may be to reach out for the help you need to manage those symptoms.
Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, causing those who suffer from it to lose the pleasure they should be getting from their daily life. In addition, depression can complicate other medical conditions and can be serious enough to lead to devastating results. Depression can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, or ethnic background. It is important to know that depression is not part of normal life, no matter what your situation may be.
Only about a third of the individuals who suffer from depression seek treatment. When you get help for your depressive disorder, you have the opportunity to live a healthier life. If you have been resisting treatment because you think it isn’t serious, that you can treat it yourself, or that it seems to be more of a personal weakness than a mental illness, now is the time to reach out for an assessment and more information on your particular condition.
Other Mental Illnesses
Anxiety disorders are also among the most common mental illnesses. Although anxiety affects about 48 million adults, it can also affect children. In fact, most people develop symptoms of anxiety before they reach the age of 21. There are several types of anxiety disorders, but all have one symptom in common, that is the excessive and persistent worry or fear in situations that are not actually threatening.
Other mental illnesses include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which involves intrusive and persistent thoughts, referred to as obsessions, and repetitive behaviors that an individual feels compelled to perform in response to those thoughts.
Dissociative disorders are associated with trauma and disrupt multiple areas of functioning, including memory, identity, consciousness, emotion, motor control, and behavior. Bipolar disorder causes shifts in an individual’s energy and mood that are usually dramatic. It can also impact a person’s ability to think clearly. Mania and depression involve episodes of extreme low and high moods.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur as a result of a traumatic event or experience, such as an accident, a violent incident, rape, or a natural disaster. People experiencing PTSD often have a set of psychological and physical responses to their trauma that can last for months or years.
Get Help
During Mental Illness Awareness Week at R&A Therapeutic Partners, we encourage you to get the help you need to live a healthier life, mentally and physically. We assure you that your mental illness is not a reflection of anything that you did or did not do. It is no one’s fault.
Mental illness can affect your behavior, mood, and thinking, impacting your life on a daily basis. It probably also affects your ability to relate to others in your life. When you realize you are not alone, and that help is available, you can move forward with getting treatment so you can move forward in your recovery.
Contact R&A Therapeutic Partners for Help
At R&A Therapeutic Partners, we support you and your mental health needs, helping you find the path that works best for you. To keep you safe and healthy, we offer in-office and online therapy options during COVID-19. We encourage you to contact the Miami therapeutic consultants Raymond Estefania and Ana Moreno to find out the services R&A Therapeutic Partners offers. Call us at 786-452-7352 to schedule your appointment.
At R&A Therapeutic Partners Raymond Estefania and Ana Moreno specialize in substance use and mental health disorder evaluations, treatment, intervention and therapeutic/educational consulting for clients throughout the greater South Florida area, as well as nationally and internationally. For more resources and information please visit Therapeutic-Partners.com or on Facebook.
