Children's Mental Health Awareness Day 2010


Thursday, May 6th, is the fifth annual National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.

Serious emotional and mental health disorders in children are treatable. Treatment is essential to a child's overall health and well-being. Children and their families should not have to face these challenges with shame but with dignity, support, understanding, and acceptance.


The goal of Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is to promote positive mental health from birth to adulthood:
  • to raise awareness of effective programs for children's mental health needs
  • to demonstrate how children's mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery, and resilience
  • to show how children with mental health needs thrive in their communities.

SAMHSA explains:

The overall message of Awareness Day is that children and youth with mental health needs and their families can thrive if provided with the services and supports they need. Children's mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, prevention, recovery, and resilience for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. It is a goal of children's mental health initiatives to transform the mental health service delivery system for children and youth with mental health needs and their families. In 2010, Awareness Day will mark its 5th anniversary, as well as a first-time focus at the national level on the topic of early childhood. The key message for 2010 is that "positive mental health is essential to a child's healthy development from birth."

By shining a spotlight on early childhood, Awareness Day efforts will encourage the following actions:

  • Integrate mental health into every environment that impacts child development from birth
  • Nurture the social and emotional well-being of children from birth
  • Look for and discuss milestones of a child's social and emotional development from birth


compiled from links above & the following sources:
http://www.samhsa.gov/index.aspx


picture source:

Mental Health Statistics and Resources



It is estimated that approximately 1 out of 4 U.S. adults (26%), 18 years of age and older, suffer from a mental disorder. That's 57.7 million people, according to the 2004 census.

Only 30% will seek/carry through with treatment.

Approximately 6% (1 in 17) suffer from a serious mental illness.

Nearly half of those with a mental disorder (45%) meet the criteria for 2 or more disorders at a given time.

In the US and Canada mental disorders are the leading cause for disability for people ages 14-44.

1 in 5 families are affected by mental illness.

Only 7% of all health-care expenditures are designated for mental health disorders.

Approximately half of mental disorders will occur before the age of 14.

10% of children and adolescents suffer from mental illness that is severe enough to cause some level of impairment.

Less than 1/3 of adults and 1/2 of children with a diagnosable mental disorder receive any treatment in a given year.

Approximately 20% of children (1 in 5) with a mental illness will receive mental health services.

16% of incarcerated adults suffer from a serious mental illness.

50% to 75% of juveniles in justice facilities suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder.

Depression ranks as the #1 cause of disability worldwide.

People between the ages of 15 and 24 are most likely to experience a major depressive episode.

Substance abuse affects 50-60% of those with severe mental disorders.

20% of ailments that Americans seek a doctor's care for are due to some form of anxiety disorder.

Schizophrenic disorders affect 2 million Americans, with 300,000 new cases occurring each year.

Approximately 1/4 of the elderly labeled as senile actually suffer from a form of mental illness that can be treated effectively.

The 3rd leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 24 is suicide.

Men are more likely to suffer from personality disorders and drug and alcohol abuse.

Women are at higher risk of suffering from anxiety disorders and depression.

Data reveals that the "disease burden" of mental health issues is 15%, which exceeds the disease burden of all forms of cancer combined.

Mental Health Resources: Hotlines, Organizations, Websites


MHA (Mental Health America)

Finding Help
Finding Treatment
Parity Laws
FAQS


US Dept Of Health And Human Services

Children and Families
Organizations and Financing
Resources


NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

Eating Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Major Depression
Schizophrenia
Borderline Personality Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
More: By Illness
Find Support


National Institute Of Mental Health

Outreach Partnership Program


Prescription Assistance Programs

Needy Meds
RX Assist
Partnership For Prescription Assistance
NAMI Prescription Assistance Programs
Merck Programs For Those In Need
The Access Project
Disability Resources Org
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
MHA Prescription Payment Assistance

More Information:
CDC PrevalenceData Search by State
CDC US Fast Stats
CDC Mental Health Organizations by State
CDC Trauma and Disaster Mental Health Resources



compiled from the follow sources and linked above:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/statistics/index.shtml http://www.mhag.org/mental_health_facts.cfm
http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/mental_health_facts/en/index.html
http://www.naminh.org/action-facts-myths.php
weighingthefacts.blogspot.com http://www.umm.edu/mentalhealth/facts.htm
picture source:flickr.com commons