The month of May has been recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949 in the United States. Organizations such as NAMI, and Mental Health American Organization have used this to May as the month of awareness. This month, to take part in spreading awareness to mental health, MedEZ™ has created the hashtag #MedEZMentalMission to spread the word. It is our mission to help break the stigma and raise awareness to our readers, clients, and followers.
Spreading Awareness
Bringing awareness to Mental Health can be as simple as sharing your story. Celebrities everywhere have come out with their personal struggles that have helped people overcome their mental health. Spreading awareness may just be educating yourself on such matters and using your knowledge to help those around you. MedEZ™ wants our readers to know that speaking on mental health is something that can change a person’s life.
A Call Away
Thanks to organizations such as the Suicide National Prevention Lifeline, suicide prevention has been nothing but a call away. The Suicide National Prevention Lifeline is a United-States based hotline that works with over 160 crisis centers. They operate a 24/7 lifeline where people all over the nation can call 1-800-273-TALK to speak with a counselor for immediate help. Their services are not only available for the person calling, but also if you are calling for someone who needs help.
Celebrities Speaking Out
Kendall Jenner
Recently, Kendall Jenner has opened up on her experience with panic attacks she faced in earlier stages of her life. With her 129 million followers, the social media star story on her opening up about her struggles hopes to comfort those dealing with problems today . Kendall describes her episodes as moments where she felt out of breath and alarmed her mom that something may be wrong. Later in her life, Kendall made the connection between her panic attacks being an effect at the beginning of her modeling career. Psychologists and mental health specialists define these panic attacks as anxiety.
Prince Harry
Very early in his life, Prince Harry faced a traumatic experience. At the age of 12, the young prince lost his mother, Princess Diana, in a terrible car accident. Prince Harry has opened up on this subject as being the cause of him shutting down his emotions for the past 20 years. After speaking with the right people on his inner battle, Prince Harry brought his experience to action by co-founding a mental health campaign- Heads Together. The campaign was founded in 2016 by Harry, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton. Together, they continue to raise awareness for mental health.
Alicia Keys
World known singer-songwriter, Alicia Keys, has spoken out about her severe depression in the early stages of her career. Alicia stated that her tendency to hold back was emotionally draining. When dealing with depression, the artist mentioned that she would bury her feelings to a point where she could not share with close friends and family. To overcome her extreme sadness, she says that she had to learn to let go.
Remember that if you or someone you know needs to speak with a counselor about suicide prevention, MedEZ™ encourages you to call 1-800-273-TALK today. Your struggle is not who you are; and as T.D. Jakes said “Never make a permanent decision about a temporary situation.” Speak up about your mental health before it is too late.
Written by Arielle C. Baril for medez.com
