Wearing green isn’t just for St. Patrick’s Day. Wearing a green ribbon or shades of green over the month of May is one way to say that mental health awareness is important.
What’s the history behind Mental Health Awareness Month?
The international Mental Health Awareness Month initiative began in 1949 in the United States when the National Mental Health Association, now known as Mental Health America, created a Mental Health Week. Since then, organizations and agencies across the world have used May as an opportunity to increase awareness of the importance of mental health, advocate for increased mental health resources, assist in the eradication of stigmas surrounding mental illness, and celebrate mental illness recovery.
Why green?
The green ribbon campaign began in the 1990s and was inspired by the red ribbon of HIV/AIDS awareness. Green was chosen purposefully. Because the color green is often associated with harmony, renewal, and growth (among other things), those involved in the campaign "aimed to create a positive, hopeful, and reassuring symbol”. Another factor involved in choosing the color was their need to differentiate their ribbons from other already highly visible campaigns. In addition, green symbolizes balance and hope over many cultures, and thus, had the potential for global reach and impact.
Do you or someone you know need mental health support?
According to the National Council on Mental Wellbeing, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year and, while 1 in 6 youth also face mental illness, only 50% receive help.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder or is experiencing mental illness, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website at findtreatment.gov for resources, phone numbers, and other helpful information. “SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.” Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
If the crisis is immediate or if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 at anytime to speak with a counselor immediately.
You are not alone. Help is here.
Getting beyond One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
If you feel like it, wear green this May and help break the stigma surrounding mental illness.
See below for some amazing authors living or who lived with mental illness as well as some of the greatest inspirational and important stories of mental illness and recovery out there.
An Angel at My Table: The Complete Autobiography by Janet Frame
The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang
The Eden Express by Mark Vonnegut
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Machines in the Head by Anna Kavan
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
And so many more found at this curated list Books That Confront Mental Illness by another of our Marin County libraries, Mill Valley Staff Adults.
Contributed by Sarah Broderick, Community Library Specialist
Sources:
https://988lifeline.org/
https://greenribbons.co.uk/about/the-green-ribbons-journey-as-a-symbol-for-mental-health-awareness/#4
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/green-ribbon-mental-health-awareness/green-ribbon-faqs
https://mhanational.org/our-history/
https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/mental-health-awareness-month/
https://www.samhsa.gov/about/digital-toolkits/mental-health-awareness-month
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline
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