A Look at May: Mental Health Month

By Will Sartor

While most months raise awareness for a specific psychological condition, the fifth month of the year promotes a discussion of mental health in general. This is important, because the best way to destigmatize specific psychological conditions is by first destigmatizing discourse regarding mental health on the whole.

Mental Health Month (also known as Mental Health Awareness Month) was first created in 1949 by Mental Health America, which was, at the time, known as the National Association for Mental Health. In the 75 years since its inception, Mental Health Month has become widely observed across the United States. 

In recent years, each Mental Health Month has been assigned a theme. For 2024, the theme is “Where to Start.” This theme draws attention to the fact that oftentimes the hardest part of helping one’s mental health is the first step — whether that be recognizing one’s own stress, reaching out for support, or any other beneficial measure. 

Furthermore, this year, Mental Health Month encourages people to, “Learn how modern life affects mental health with new resources to navigate our changing world,” “Act by building your coping toolbox so you can manage stress, difficult emotions, and challenging situations,” and “Advocate to improve mental health for yourself, your friends and family, and your community.”

These objectives can be accomplished through a variety of ways. Mental Health America suggests tagging them in social media posts about Mental Health Awareness Month. This includes Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. On top of this, contacting government representatives, organizing community events, and reaching out to local institutions are great ways of spreading awareness. 

For more information, check out:

https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mental-health-awareness-month/

https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-month 

Sources: 

Mental Health Awareness Month (2024). National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mental-health-awareness-month/

Mental Health Month (2024). Mental Health America. https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-month