Promoting mental health awareness
Throughout the month of May, Tampa Bay Thrives is promoting the priority of emotionally healthy communities and mental health.
Official buildings and bridges in the City of Tampa were illuminated in the color green on May 1 and May 2 to kick off Mental Health Awareness Month.
Thrives also is highlighting a series of four video vignettes as part of its original awareness campaign, #IYKYK (If you know, you know), featuring residents across the region sharing their mental health journeys.
The #IYKYK project tackles topics such as:
- Talking to a primary care doctor about mental health concerns
- How to choose a therapist and evaluate clinical options
- What to expect when you walk into that first session
- Advice on how to know when you’ve found the right therapist for you, and how to handle a conversation when the fit is not right
The month will conclude with the illumination of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge May 28 to May 31.
Tampa Bay Thrives is an affiliate of Mental Health America and offers a free online screening tool for a quick and easy way to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. Visit https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/?ref=TampaBayThrives.
There also is a Let’s Talk line for support: call 844-YOU-OKAY (968-6529).
For more information about the organization, visit TampaBayThrives.org.
NAMI launches new guide
Mental Health America and its affiliates across the country have led the observance of May as Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949, by reaching millions through media, local events and screenings.
Cities and businesses throughout the country host various events to support mental health and open up the lines of communication.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has announced the launch of the Schizophrenia and Psychosis Lexicon Guide to help transform how we talk about, understand, and treat schizophrenia and psychosis. This represents a step in NAMI’s mission to foster understanding, empathy and respect in mental health communication, according to a news release.
The new guide is a collaborative effort involving mental health experts, individuals with lived experience, and comprehensive research, which ensures that the guide is a well-rounded resource, the release says.
The guide is available on NAMI’s website, https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Publications-Reports/Guides/Schizophrenia-Psychosis-Guide-Care-Advocacy-Engagement/, and provides health care professionals, caregivers, advocates, and the media with an approach to conversations that respects the experiences of individuals living with these conditions and promotes positive engagement.
