But affects us all.
Did you know that one (1) out of every four (4) adults in the United States is affected by a mental illness in a given year? Unfortunately, many people don’t know enough about behavioral/mental health issues. This causes many to have a fear and/or stigma about behavioral/mental health and the people affected by these issues, forcing many who are affected to remain silent about their struggles for fear of retribution or rejection.
To battle this stigma, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Arizona), Magellan of Arizona and the Mental Health Awareness Coalition (MHAC) are joining together in an unprecedented campaign to educate and reduce social stigma. Together the three organizations created the “Mental Illness Strikes 1 in 4” campaign.
The campaign includes a series of events that will take place throughout Maricopa County to raise awareness about mental illness and to educate the public on what they can do to help.
Upcoming events include:
Month of May
Mental Health Awareness Month
2nd Week May
Children's Mental Health Awareness Week
May 30
Mental Health Awareness Night at Chase Field
October 2009
Tentative Date for Taste of Recovery Social Hour and Awards Program
Recent events include:
Friday, May 1 – Mental Health Awareness Coalition Candlelight Celebration
Every year the Mental Health Awareness Coalition (MHAC) organizes a local Candlelight Celebration to honor those who live or have lived with a mental illness. This year’s Candlelight Celebration took place on Friday, May 1, 2009 during the downtown Phoenix First Fridays Art Walk. The event included live music, art, vendors and the “Through Our Eyes: The Faces of Recovery” photo exhibition. 30 mental healthcare recipients were given disposable cameras and asked to take photos of what recovery meant to them. The photos illustrate seemingly everyday things, such as two friends sharing the warmth of an embrace, a woman enjoying the pleasure of a soda at a local diner and someone doing needlepoint, etc. The goal was to show that recovery for those affected by mental illness is about transitioning them back into the community where they can participate in these normal, even mundane things that make them happy and productive once again.
Participants carrying battery operated candles then boarded the Metro Light Rail. Their goal was to take advantage of inquiries from other riders to educate them about mental health issues and reduce stigma.
Saturday, April 11, 2009 – MY Fest ‘09, Tempe Beach Park
To help raise awareness, MY LIFE (Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment), hosted MY Fest ‘09! The second annual MY Fest event took place at Tempe Beach Park on April 11. The event included live bands, entertainers, artists, food, youth groups, and a wide variety of youth based Valley organizations.
Planned and produced entirely by MY LIFE youth members, MY Fest ‘09 was a great chance to enjoy a fun day, while learning about opportunities, resources and services available to youth and families. MY Fest ‘09 was even bigger and better than the first with more than 2,500 people in attendance. The event focused on mental health, substance abuse and foster care issues. More than 90 organizations that serve youth and families were also at the event to help educate the community about youth services and opportunities. In addition, the youth in partnership with Jewish Family and Children Services collected more than $1,500 in donations during the event. Half of the money raised will be used to purchase caps and gowns for graduating seniors under the care of Child Protective Services (CPS). The remaining portion will help fund future MY LIFE projects and initiatives.
More than 45 youth planned the festival in partnership with other youth leaders from Jewish Family and Children Services, the Governor’s Youth Commission, Pima Prevention Partner’s FREEMIND and the City of Tempe. Other partnerships included Southwest Network, PASSAGE Coalition, People of Color Network, CPS Youth Advisory Board, Department of Behavioral Health Services, MIKID, the Mental Health Awareness Coalition, the Family Involvement Center and St. Luke’s Health Initiatives.
The crowd also enjoyed the Mini Me MY LIFE land; free food; performances such as break dancing, singing and spoken word; holistic healing; the high flying Phoenix Suns Gorilla; and art work by Art Awakenings.
MY LIFE would like to thank everyone involved in the planning of MY Fest ‘09 and all those who attend the event for making it a great success. MY LIFE appreciates your support and dedication. The youth are excited and eager to begin planning for MY Fest ‘10.
For more information about MY LIFE or MY Fest ‘09, please visit www.MagellanofAZ.com/MYLIFE.
Sunday, March 29, 2009 – NAMI Walks, Tempe Beach Park
The NAMI Walks for the Mind of America is a nationwide fundraising and mental health awareness program that will be held in more than 80 communities around the country in 2009, including right here in Arizona. It is expected that these walks will raise approximately $9 million in 2009 for NAMI and the mental health services it provides to thousands of families across the country. On Sunday, March 29th more than 2,500 walkers participated in this fundraising event at Tempe Beach Park. The walkers raised more than $120,000 and counting! All the funds collected by Arizona walkers will be used to fund NAMI programs here in Arizona. These programs include support, education, research and advocacy involving schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and severe anxiety disorders.
March 2009 - Children’s Mental Health Week Poster Contest
The Mental Health Awareness Coalition hosted its annual Children’s Mental Health Week Poster Contest. Arizona youth between the ages of five (5) and 18 submitted art work in paint, chalk, pencil, charcoal, crayon for this contest. The winning artwork titled “Without awareness, we can’t pull ourselves together,” was made into a Children’s Mental Health Awareness week poster that will be displayed across Arizona. Prizes totaling more than $500 were awarded to contest participants.
Click here for more information on MHAC events.
ABOUT THE 1 in 4 CAMPAIGN PARTNERS
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Arizona
NAMI Arizona is a grassroots organization of individuals and families whose lives are affected by mental illness. Through education, advocacy, and support, we strive to eliminate the pervasive stigma of mental illness, effect positive changes in mental health services, and increase the public and professional understanding of mental illness. www.namiaz.org
Magellan of Arizona
As the state-contracted Regional Behavioral Health Authority, Magellan Health Services of Arizona, Inc. is pleased to be able to help children and adults in Maricopa County. We manage a publicly funded behavioral health care delivery system for Medicaid, non-Medicaid and Title XXI (KidsCare)-eligible residents in Maricopa County. Through a system of Provider Network Organizations, we serve more than 70,000 recipients as well as their family members through a wide range of services from crisis assistance to housing programs to children’s services and substance abuse treatment. www.MagellanofAZ.com
Mental Health Awareness Coalition (MHAC)
MHAC originally formed in 1995 as “The Mental Illness Candlelight Vigil Coalition.” The Coalition is made up of representatives from the mental health agencies within Maricopa County, as well as advocates and service-recipients. The Coalition identifies and plans events that will promote mental health awareness and eliminate stigma associated with mental illness. The Coalition sponsors the following annual events: The Candlelight Celebration, The Visions of Change Conference, and The Art Festival. www.azmhac.org
ABOUT MENTAL/BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
NAMI Fact Sheet
Mental Illness: Facts and Numbers
- One in four adults - approximately 57.7 million Americans - experience a mental health disorder in a given year. One in seventeen lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder1, and about one in ten children have a serious mental or emotional disorder.
- About 2.4 million Americans, or 1.1 percent of the adult population, lives with schizophrenia.
- Bipolar disorder affects 5.7 million American adults, approximately 2.6 percent of the adult population per year.
- Major depressive disorder affects 6.7 percent of adults, or about 14.8 million American adults.
- According to the 2004 World Health Report, this is the leading cause of Disability in the U.S. and Canada in ages between 15 to 44.
- Anxiety disorders, which include panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder and phobias, affect about 18.1 percent of adults, an estimated 40 million individuals. Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depression or addiction disorders.
- An estimated 5.2 million adults have co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders.
- Of adults using homeless services, thirty-one percent reported having a combination of these conditions.
- Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, three-quarters by age 24.
- Despite effective treatments, there are long delays - sometimes decades - between first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment.
- Fewer than one-third of adults and half of children with a diagnosable mental disorder receive any mental health services in a given year.
- Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to have access to mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of care.
- In the U.S., the annual economic, indirect cost of mental illnesses is estimated to be $79 billion. Most of that amount - approximately $63 billion - reflects the loss of productivity as a result of illnesses.
- Individuals with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions.
- Adults with serious mental illness die 25 years younger than other Americans, largely due to treatable medical conditions.
- Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the U.S., and the third leading cause of death for ages 10 to 24 years. More than 90 percent of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder.
- In July 2007, a nationwide report indicated that male veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide as compared with their civilian peers in the general US population.
- Twenty-four percent of state prisoners and 21 percent of local jail prisoners have a recent history of a mental health disorder.
- Seventy percent of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental disorder with at least 20 percent experiencing significant functional impairment from a serious mental illness.
- Over 50 percent of students with a mental disorder age 14 and older drop out of high school - the highest dropout rate of any disability group.
ARIZONA RESOURCES
Arizona Department of Health Services/Division of Behavioral Health Services (ADHS/DBHS)
150 N. 18th Avenue, 2nd Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 364-4558
website: www.azdhs.gov/bhs/Magellan of Arizona
4129 E Van Buren, Suite 250
Phoenix, AZ 85008
Member Services (800) 564-5465 (TTY: 800-424-9831)
For emergencies, call the Crisis Line at (800) 631-1314 (TTY: 800-327-9254)
email: MaricopaCommunityRelations@MagellanHealth.com
website: www.MagellanofAZ.comNAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness Arizona
2210 N. Seventh Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006
(602) 244-8166
(800) 626-5022 toll-free
email: namiaz@namiaz.org
website: www.namiaz.orgMental Health Awareness Coalition
2642 E. Thomas Road
Phoenix, AZ 85016
email: info@azmhac.org
website: www.azmhac.org
NATIONAL RESOURCES
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Science Writing, Press, Dissemination Branch
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
(866) 615-6464 toll-free (TYY: 301-443-8431)
email: nimhinfo@nih.gov
website: www.nimh.nih.govNAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness
2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
(703) 524-7600
Helpline: 1 (800) 950-NAMI (6264)
website: www.nami.org