America is facing a rising tide of mental health concerns. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reports of more Americans dealing with mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, and substance abuse is off the charts. While mental health in America is an issue that has always been stigmatized and never fully addressed, it has only increased and worsened since the beginning of 2020, impacting more American individuals and families. This increases the need for mental health awareness, and thus Mental Health Awareness Month is of utmost importance in 2022.
Since 1949, the month of May has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a month dedicated to raise awareness of those individuals living with mental health issues and mental illness, take steps to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and mental illness, educate Americans about mental health, mental illness, and how they impact individuals, families, and communities, and provide resources for those in need of help for mental health or mental illness. Mental Health Awareness Month is both an observation, a celebration, a time for reflection and education, and a call to action.
Every year throughout America, millions of people are affected by mental health issues and mental illness. The statistics are staggering. According to the latest numbers, 1 in 5 adults in the United States experience mental illness each year. 1 in 20 U.S adults experience what is described or diagnosed as a serious mental illness each year. 1 in 6 youths in the United States between the ages of 6 and 17 experience a mental health disorder each year. 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people in the United States between the ages of 10 and 34.
Specifically in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic when many Americans were dealing intense feelings of isolation, panic, and fear, 21% of adults in America experienced a mental illness, totaling 52.9 million Americans. 5.6% of adults in the United States experienced a serious mental illness, totaling 14.2 million Americans. 17 million Americans, 6.7% of the population of adults in the United States, experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness.
Too many Americans, their family members, and their communities are impacted each day by mental health conditions and mental illness to not focus more on both the problem and available solutions. As a society, it is imperative that mental health be looked at as important as physical health. While Americans all too often seek out medical attention, help, and support for physical ailments and illnesses, the brain is often ignored or overlooked. The mental health of Americans needs to become more primary in how health is viewed in the country. Mental Health Awareness Month offers an opportunity to shine a light on the importance of mental health, support those suffering from a mental illness, help find those in need the appropriate mental health resources and care, break the stigma far too often associated with mental health and mental illness, and bring mental health into the light as normal issue dealt with by many Americans.
Here at Innovo Detox, we understand the importance of mental health. Most patients that seek detox and addiction treatment services also deal with co-occurring mental health conditions or have a dual diagnosis. Therefore, when a patient enters detox, we take the necessary steps through psychiatry, therapy, and counseling to help them begin their journey of treatment and recovery not only focused on their drug and alcohol use or addiction, but also by supporting them in a journey of mental health treatment and wellness.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorders, please give us a call. Innovo Detox offers the latest in evidence-based medical, psychiatric, and clinical care for those in need of detox and medical stabilization in Pennsylvania and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or a loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a detox, rehab, treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (717) 619-3260 or email our team at info@innovodetox.com. For more information on our company or services, please visit our website at www.innovodetox.com.