The Month of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week 3rd – 9th
Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition. However, mental illness affects everyone directly or indirectly through family, friends or coworkers. That is why each year, during the first week of October, NAMI and participants across the country raise awareness of mental illness, fight discrimination and provide support through Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW).
We believe that mental health conditions are important to discuss year-round, but highlighting them during MIAW provides a dedicated time for mental health advocates across the country to come together as one unified voice. Since 1990, when Congress officially established the first full week of October as MIAW, advocates have worked together to sponsor activities, large or small, to educate the public about mental illness.
MIAW 2022
This year’s MIAW is centered around the theme “What I Wish I Had Known” where we will focus on the power of lived experience. Each day throughout the week, we will be elevating the voices of people with lived experience to talk about the components of their recovery where they learned something that could have helped them sooner. The topics include: What I Wish I’d Known About…
- Monday Oct. 3: Stigma
- Tuesday Oct. 4: Medication [National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding]
- Wednesday Oct. 5: Therapy
- Thursday Oct. 6: Disclosing [National Depression Screening Day]
- Friday Oct. 7: Caregiving
The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public.
The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET.
Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text “HelpLine” to 62640 or email us at helpline@nami.org.
