MONTGOMERY – Governor Bentley
proclaimed May 3-9, 2015 as Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week in Alabama,
coinciding with both National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week and
National Mental Health Month, observed annually in May. The National Federation of Families for
Children’s Mental Health sponsors Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week each
year in an effort to increase public awareness of the triumphs and challenges
in children’s mental health and to emphasize the importance of family and youth
involvement in the children’s mental health movement.
In recognition of this
observance, the Alabama Department of Mental Health, Alabama Family Ties and
Alabama Youth M.O.V.E. are partnering to raise public awareness and promote a
greater understanding of mental health disorders that affect thousands of
Alabama children each year. Community mental health providers have been encouraged to
sponsor an event to commemorate the week as they have done in previous years.
Events such as health fairs at local high schools, direct participation with
child abuse awareness events with a focus on mental health issues, poster
contests, purchasing and encouraging the wear of green ribbons, and
distribution of promotional items from the National Federation of Families to
parents at the community’s monthly support meetings are examples of past
involvement.
Alabama Family
Ties has secured art work from a youth consumer during their training and
awareness events over the last year that is displayed on a poster in
recognition of the observance. These posters are distributed statewide to be
displayed throughout the week.
Alabama Youth
M.O.V.E. is a youth-led organization
devoted to improving services and systems that support positive youth growth
and development through uniting the voices of individuals who have been served
by various systems including mental health, juvenile justice and education.
Alabama Youth M.O.V.E. and Alabama Family Ties work together to promote
Children's Mental Health Awareness Week statewide each year through their “Wear
a Green Ribbon for Children’s Mental Health” campaign. More information about AYM can be found on
the Alabama Family Ties website, and on AYM’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlabamaYouthMOVE.
The latest national data shows that bipolar disorder, major
depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), and various severe anxiety disorders affect one in five
children each year. In Alabama, approximately 27,000 children receive public
mental health treatment every year.
“Many people in our communities are directly affected
by mental illnesses,” said Dr. Beverly Bell-Shambley, associate commissioner of
ADMH’s Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. “The good news
is treatment works and recovery is possible, but only if people can get access
to that treatment. Less than one-third
of adults and less than one-half of children with a diagnosed illness receive
treatment. The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that stigma is a major barrier
to people seeking help when they need it,” Bell-Shambley said. “That’s why
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is so important. We want people to
learn the facts and end myths to help break the stigma and silence that too often
surround the topic. The more people know, the better they can help themselves
or help their loved ones get the help and support they need. By changing
attitudes about mental illness, we can change lives.”
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RESOURCES
To learn more about
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week activities going on throughout the
state, as well as children’s mental health services in Alabama, contact the
Alabama Department of Mental Health at 334-242-3200 or visit www.mh.alabama.gov.
For more information about
Alabama Family Ties, visit their Web site at
http://www.alfamilyties.org/advocacy.html.
More information about
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week can be found at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) website at http://www.samhsa.gov/children
and the National Federation of Families website at https://www.ffcmh.org/awarenessweek.