May is Mental Health Awareness Month. For over 65 years this observance has been in place reaching millions of people to spread the word about what mental health is and why each one of us should care.
The 2015 campaign focuses on how to address mental health in the early stages. When we think of physical diseases like cancer, heart disease or diabetes, we don't wait for years to treat them - we begin with prevention. We learn to detect the symptoms.
Mental health should be approached the same way. By learning the facts, recognizing the symptoms and using preventative treatments, potentially serious mental illness can be avoided.
Did you know 1 in 5 adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year? Fifty percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life and nearly half of them will develop these conditions by age 14.
Early detection is essential. If a person feels like they or a loved one may be experiencing a mental health condition a screening may be a good tool to be used to start a conversation with your health care provider.
Mental health problems are not only common, they are treatable.
Risk Factors:
- Genetics
- Biology
- Environment
- Lifestyle
- Too much sleep or trouble sleeping
- Trouble focusing/ Racing thoughts
- Changes in appetite
- Isolation
- Losing interest in things you once enjoyed
- Irritability
- Short temper
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