NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At least one in five Tennesseans suffers from a mental illness. When you or someone you love is dealing with a mental health concern, sometimes it’s a lot to handle. It’s important to remember that mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable.
So much of what we do physically impacts us mentally. That is why this year’s theme for May is Mental Health Month – Fitness #4Mind4Body – is a call to pay attention to both your physical health and your mental health, which can help achieve overall wellness and set you on a path to recovery. In tandem, the National Institutes of Health is launching its All of Us Research Program on May 6 to advance precision medicine for more people and more conditions.
“Supporting these national initiatives will help develop more resources that all Tennesseans can use in their communities,” said Tom Starling, Ed.D., CEO of Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee (MHAMT). “The more participation and data we can gather, the better we can find help and address mental health needs on the individual level.”
If you or a loved one think you may be at risk for a mental illness, take a free screening at http://screening.mentalhealthamerica.net/screening-tools?ref=MHAMT. Mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety are real, common and treatable.
“In Tennessee, statistics show that mental illness begins around age 14 and is often undiagnosed until the mid-20s. Through evidence-based research, we know that if people have 4-6 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) before age 18 what their likelihood of being diagnosed with a mental illness is. We know that suicide is one of the top 10 causes of death in Tennessee, and the second leading cause of death for Tennesseans aged 10-19,” Starling said.
For more information and tools to help raise awareness for Mental Health Month, visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/challenge. To participate in the All of Us research program, visit www.JoinAllofUs.org.
For more than 72 years, Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee has been serving all 95 Tennessee counties with resources that cover suicide prevention, school based curricula and aging and Alzheimer’s programs. To learn more about MHAMT, visit www.mhamt.org.