Breaking the Stigma: May is Mental Health Awareness Month
“Turn Awareness into Action” is the theme for this month’s national campaign, highlighting issues around mental health every May since 1949.
With the support of high-profile celebrities like Lady Gaga, Ryan Reynolds and Selena Gomez, and iconic athletes including Simone Biles and Michael Phelps, opening up about mental health issues has thankfully become far more normalized. And Mental Health Awareness Month—centered around the theme of “Turn Awareness into Action”—offers healthcare professionals a timely opportunity to join the conversation, reflect on their role in tackling the mental health crisis, reduce stigma, and promote access to care.
And “crisis” is not an exaggeration. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):
- One in five adults in this country experience mental illness each year
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One in six young people age 6–17 experience a mental health disorder each year
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Serious mental illness causes $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year in the US
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Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the US for those age 15–24
Significant delays between the onset of symptoms and treatment have been well documented—one study reports a gap of 11 years. Access to care remains deeply unequal, particularly for rural Americans, who must travel twice as far on average to reach a hospital and are twice as likely to lack broadband internet, hindering the use of telehealth services. Today, more than 160 million people live in a designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area.
Mental health challenges are even more pronounced in the LGBTQ+ community. LGBT youth attempt suicide at nearly four times the rate of their heterosexual peers. Even more strikingly, transgender adults are nearly nine times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population.
Depression and Cardiovascular/Metabolic Disease
The effects of depression are not limited to emotional well-being—there is a significant biological toll. Individuals with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
In a CMHC Faculty Spotlight discussion, “Depression and Cardiovascular Diseases in Women,” Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, Erica Spatz, MD, MHS, outlines her remarkable findings regarding women, psycho-social stressors and cardiovascular disease.
“Women with depression are at higher risk for adverse cardiovascular results than men with depression,” she says. “Whether it’s obesity, whether it’s controlling high blood pressure, controlling lipids, or even if it’s angina, I think we need to get into the habit of [asking the patient], ‘What’s going on in your world?’ … Putting that on the problem list and having some action-oriented plan for patients who have depressive symptoms, who have depression, is really important.”
Taking Action: What Healthcare Professionals Can Do
To make a meaningful impact during Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond, consider the following steps:
- Educate and Train: Stay current with the latest research, treatment guidelines, and best practices in mental health care.
- Screen Early and Often: Use evidence-based tools like the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 during routine exams.
- Collaborate With Specialists: Build strong referral relationships with local mental health providers.
- Address Social Determinants: Recognize how factors like housing, food security, and employment can influence mental well-being.
- Advocate for Systemic Change: Support policies that expand access to mental health services, increase provider reimbursement, and reduce health disparities.
And don’t forget to care for your own mental health. Decompressing from the demands of your profession is essential. Prioritize nutrition, physical activity, relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation, and set firm boundaries between your work and personal life. By doing so, you not only protect your own well-being but also lead by example and turn your awareness into action, modeling healthy behaviors for colleagues and patients alike. As Julio Vega, MD, advises in an article about work/life balance, “Go to the basics: exercise, diet, sleep and socializing.”
