Did you know May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States? The awareness raising campaign, started in 1949, by the community-based nonprofit Mental Health America, seeks to heighten awareness of mental health issues through media, events, education, and screening.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

• 1 in 25 adults in the United States lives with a serious mental illness. 

• Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24.  

• Serious mental illness costs the US more than $190 billion in lost earning every year. 

Raising awareness of mental health issues and fighting the stigma of mental illness is ongoing, as the longevity of the “May is Mental Health Awareness Month” campaign and frequent news stories illustrate. The McNichols Campus Library has resources, including books, articles, and DVDs, that can help reframe how mental health and mental illness are viewed. If you are interested in learning more about the Library’s mental health resources or are looking for a title recommendation, please contact Librarian Julia Eisenstein at eisensjl@udmercy.edu.