1 in 5 Americans suffer from mental illnesses & ~1% of the population suffer from bipolar disorder. Mental illness, bipolar disorder to be exact, was not talked about much in the media for decades. In the last several years mental health awareness has become a movement, but we still have further to go with educating the general population on bipolar disorder & other mental illnesses. Representation of individuals with bipolar disorder needs to be seen more in social media, the news, books, and even classrooms. Why not educate youth on mental illnesses and mental health care? It is time to normalize mental health as a whole.

For decades bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses were not discussed in society. While more talk of mental illnesses is being discussed in society today, there is still a stigma surrounding mental health.

Causes:

• under-representation of individuals with mental illnesses

• a society that has yet to normalize mental health

Symptoms:

• People with a mental illness may feel ostracized from society

• The general public are misinformed or are not educated on mental illness and mental health as a whole

• U.S. citizens with a diagnosed mental illness are under-represented in society

• People who suffer from a mental illness, anxiety, or depression feel less inclined to talk about their disorder and reach out for help

• Society as a whole is not educated enough on mental illnesses

• Lack of mental health awareness

• 238 billion expected in expenditure on mental health services in the U.S.

• People with bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses

• Organizations for mental health such as:

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness

  • Frontier Behavioral Health

  • Other behavioral health programs & non-profit organizations that help people with mental illnesses and mental health-related issues

• Local, county, and state behavioral health programs

• mental hospitals and out-patient programs

As mental health awareness continues to grow in popularity, the educating of people, as well as talk of mental health, could help break the stigma around bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses as a whole.

• Education of mental health wellness in schools

• More representation of mental illness in social media

• Education books on bipolar disorder & mental illness

  • Waiting for Daylight - A memoir that follows the personal battle of the author's disorder of Type I Bipolar Disorder invites the reader in to experience the struggle, the heartache, and the fight to keep going.

  • When Dawn Breaks - When Dawn Breaks is a self-help book full of raw emotion, inspiration, and a hopeful outlook for those struggling with depression, anxiety, or any other mental battle. The author takes the reader into her own personal experiences living with Type I Bi-Polar Disorder in order to relate with readers and their own experiences dealing with mental health issues.

• Now And Me Discussion Forum: Now & Me is an online discussion community centered around the principle of catharsis. A person's online presence can weigh on their mental health, this platform aims to provide a place of healing and empathy rather than competition and insecurity.

• Ginger Mental Health Support: Ginger utilizes historic health records, assesses current health parameters, and analyzes changes in behavior to offer support from professional coaches, licensed therapists, and psychiatrists via a smartphone application, enabling users to access high-quality coaches, clinicians, and contents and receive real-time feedback on mental health via telehealth.

• Real Talk App Helps Show Teens They Are Not Alone: Real Talk crowdsources authentic teen stories on topics like puberty, bullying, and mental health. All stories are carefully screened and curated, and each is paired with a high quality online resource before being published to the app.

• Increased representation of people with bipolar disorder and mental illnesses in the media

• More funding for mental health support groups and non-profit organizations.

• Watch Your Words: Why Mental Health Awareness Should be Year Round: https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/watch-your-words-why-mental-health-awareness

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): https://www.nami.org/Home

• Frontier Behavioral Health: https://fbhwa.org/

• The State of Mental Health in the U.S. – Improving Awareness: https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/state-mental-health-u-s-improving-awareness/

• Waiting for Daylight, by Ashley M. Delzell: https://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Daylight-Miss-Ashley-Delzell/dp/1696764327/ref=sr11?crid=MCC580DEZW5J&dchild=1&keywords=waiting+for+daylight+by+ashley+m+delzell&qid=1602459715&sprefix=waiting+for+daylight%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-1

• When Dawn Breaks, by Ashley M. Delzell: https://www.amazon.com/When-Dawn-Breaks-Ashley-Delzell-ebook/dp/B088NCS1YS/ref=sr11?dchild=1&keywords=when+dawn+breaks+by+ashley+m+delzell&qid=1602459741&sr=8-1

Ashley M. Delzell

Author of Waiting for Daylight & When Dawn Breaks available on Amazon.