In the United States, May has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949. Established by the organization Mental Health America, the mission of Mental Health Awareness Month has multiple goals, including:

• 
  Educating the public about mental illness
• Supporting mental health research and treatment 
• Making treatment accessible to the public
• Fighting stigma associated with mental illness
• Celebrating the lives and recovery of those who experience mental illness

Although Mental Health Awareness Month has been recognized since 1949, the above goals remain ongoing. 

Who Benefits from Mental Health Awareness Month? 

In short: everyone benefits from Mental Health Awareness Month! 

In some ways, the goals of Mental Health Awareness Month are more important than ever given the unique challenges to mental health posed by society today. For example, the current economy causes increased financial stress that impacts daily life and the ability to afford housing, education, childcare, and healthcare. Social media usage is associated with difficulties with body image, self-esteem, mood, and sleep. World events like climate change, pandemics, and war are sources of stress, grief, and trauma. Highly polarizing political figures and events result in fear and conflict within families and communities. Multiple groups of marginalized people such as trans people, BIPOC people, and immigrants have experienced increased discrimination and violence. All of these experiences, now part of daily American life, have profound impacts on mental health. 

Psychological research tells us that mental health conditions are common. In fact, per a 2024 study, it is estimated that more than one in five adults in the United States live with a mental illness. That’s nearly 60 million people! In fact, the annual prevalence rates of mental illness among adults in the US include:

• Anxiety Disorders: 19.1%
• Major Depressive Disorder: 15.5%
• Co-occurring Substance Use Disorder and Mental Illness: 8.1%
• Bipolar Disorders: 4.3%
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: 4.1%
• Borderline Personality Disorder: 1.4%
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: 1.2%

Mental health conditions also impact different groups of people at different rates. For example, the same study cited above also found that the prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults, by demographic group is as follows:

• Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 12.2%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: 17.0%
• Hispanic or Latino: 20.7%
• Non-Hispanic Black: 20.9%
• Non-Hispanic White: 25.1%
• Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native: 25.9%
• Non-Hispanic Multiracial: 35.5%
• Male (assigned at birth): 20.0%
• Female (assigned at birth): 26.7%
• Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual: 53.2%

While the numbers above make it clear that mental health conditions are experienced by many people, it’s important to remember that every person who experiences mental illness is also someone with friends, family, and community. These connections are also impacted by the presence of mental illness, albeit indirectly. Therefore, Mental Health Awareness Month is truly for every member of society, not just those with symptoms or diagnoses. 

What Is Stigma And How Does It Impact Mental Health?

Among the 60 million Americans who live with a mental illness annually, only 50% of them received mental health treatment in the same year. One significant barrier to people seeking therapy is stigma related to mental health conditions and mental health treatment. 

“Stigma” refers to negative, unfair beliefs that society or a group of people have about something. When it comes to mental health, there are three types of stigma identified in psychological research. They are as follows:

• Public Stigma refers to negative judgements and discriminatory attitudes that society has about mental illness. Societal beliefs that mental illness is an inappropriate topic of public discussion and societal beliefs that people with mental illness are dangerous are both examples of public stigma.
  
  
• Structural stigma refers to societal barriers experienced by people with mental illness, such as policies of governments or employers that, whether intentionally or not, limit opportunities for people with mental illness or promote harmful, negative attitudes about people with mental illness. Examples of structural stigma are governments providing less funding for mental health care, employers denying promotions to those with mental health diagnoses, and mental health medications not being reliably available or affordable.
  
  
• Self-stigma refers to the negative beliefs and internalized shame that people with mental illness may experience, often as a result of public stigma and structural stigma. Examples of self-stigma are a person believing that their mental health symptoms make them weak, broken, or a failure.

These three types of stigma harm both people with mental illness and those connected to them, such as their family members and friends. Stigma can look different in different contexts and o racial and ethnic groups, socioeconomic status, often varies based on variables like race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religious background. 

Despite the many different manifestations of mental health stigma, the impacts are consistent, and they are consistently harmful. Effects of stigma, especially self-stigma, include:

• Decreased self-esteem and confidence
• Decreased hope 
• Increased difficulties at work
• Increased difficulty in relationships 
• Increased mental health symptoms
• Decreased likelihood of seeking mental health treatment
• Less effective participation in mental health treatment once begun 

One of the goals of Mental Health Awareness Month is to fight stigma so that these negative outcomes can be changed for people who experience mental illness, as well as their friends, families, and communities. 

How Can You Support Mental Health Awareness Month? 

If you care about the mission of Mental Health Awareness Month, there are many ways to support its mission. If you feel passionately about a specific mental health condition, there are likely many organizations you can join to do great work in that specific area. However, if you are interested in broader efforts, here are three ways you can make a difference:

1. Share information about Mental Health Awareness Month. Every year, organizations like Mental Health America and the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) make free resources that can be shared online by individuals and organizations or printed and distributed. A simple social media post can go a long way in educating your community and showing others that you are safe and supportive on the topic of mental health.
   
   
2. Get involved in fundraising on the national or local level. On the national level, NAMI organizes NAMI Walks which take place all over the country and raise funds for mental health research and treatment. In Northampton, Massachusetts, Aviva Psychology Service has been a sponsor of The Hot Chocolate Run, which raises funds for survivors of domestic violence, who often need mental health support after their traumatic experiences.
   
   
3. Offer support to those in your life who experience mental health conditions. Living with a mental health condition can be expensive, lonely, and overwhelming. Reaching out to others to express care and to ask others what kinds of support they need can be a powerful, even life-saving action. Remember, it is important to approach conversations without judgement and with empathy. 

How Can You Support Your Own Mental Health? 

Every person has a unique mental health experience with their own individual needs, preferences, and goals that vary based on their personality, history, diagnoses, and culture. However, there are some actions that are nearly universally helpful for protecting our mental health. Here are three specific ways you can protect your mental health: 

1. Take steps to get the best sleep possible. Stress, excessive screen time, work schedules, health problems, and childcare are just a few of the common barriers to getting restful, healthy sleep. When we don’t get healthy sleep, many aspects of life are negatively impacted, including our mood, metabolism, immune system function, ability to concentrate, and energy to complete daily life tasks. Creating healthy sleep habits can be difficult on your own, but Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia is a brief, evidenced-based therapy that is proven to significantly improve sleep quality in as few as five sessions.
   
   
2. Use stress management skills. Building consistent habits of stress management can go a long way in protecting our physical and mental health. Finding what skills work best for you requires some experimenting, as one person may find quiet, solo mindfulness restorative while another prefers the community support and physical challenge of a team sport. Having a variety of different skills and using them regularly can build resilience and protect against developing mental health conditions like depression.
   
   
3. Find a psychologist to provide you with individualized, evidence-based therapy that honors your unique needs and preferences, helps you make progress toward your goals, and provides you with the support you need to navigate daily life in meaningful, sustainable ways. The team of psychologists at Aviva Psychology Services provide services like these, and you can get started by filling out the Request an Appointment form. 

Selected References and Additional Reading:

1. Mental Health Awareness Month. (2026, January 6). NAMI. https://www.nami.org/stay-connected/events/awareness-events/mental-health-awareness-month/ 
   
   
2. ‌Mental Health Month | Mental Health America. (2025, March 18). Mental Health America. https://mhanational.org/mental-health-month/ 
   
   
3. ‌National Institute of Mental Health. (2024, September). Mental Illness. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
   
   
4. Oexle N, Müller M, Kawohl W, Xu Z, Viering S, Wyss C, Vetter S, Rüsch N. Self-stigma as a barrier to recovery: a longitudinal study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2018 Mar;268(2):209-212. doi: 10.1007/s00406-017-0773-2. Epub 2017 Feb 10. PMID: 28188369.
   
   
5. Singhal, N. (2024, March). Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness. American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination
   
   
6. The Lancet. (2016). The health crisis of mental health stigma. The Lancet, 387(10023), 1027. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(16)00687-5