Mental Illness Awareness Stamp

I was just looking around at images on my laptop and found a stamp I made a while ago for mental illness awareness. Given how Mental Health Month is almost over, I figured this would be appropriate to upload. ^^

The mental illness advocacy groups (the generalized ones) couldn't really decide between green and silver for our ribbon colour-- you'll see both used. So that's why there's two in my stamp.

These are real disorders, and people are suffering from them. It's about time society took them seriously and stop dismissing them as products of the imagination or as victims as just being crazy. I'm sick of being told that I'm either making it up, that it's all in my head, that no one cares that I'm hurting, that I'm just plain crazy, or that I need to get off my meds because they will only make me worse in the long-run or only mask the real problem. We need more awareness, support, and better treatment options and cures. End the stigma! Hopefully the next generation with these disorders won't have to go thru this. ^^



Basic Information and Stats About Mental Illnesses:
The terms "mental illness" and "mental disorder" are interchangeable. "Psychological" can also be used in place of "mental."

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older or about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental illness in any given year.

More than 450 million people world-wide suffer from a mental illness.

Children and teens are NOT immune to mental illnesses.

Depression is the most common mental illness, with anxiety disorders the second most common. Sometimes the two occur together.

Many people diagnosed with one mental illness qualify for other mental illnesses and actually have more than one-- the disorders like to travel in packs. This is called co-mordity. It's pretty common.

It's not unusual for people to be misdiagnosed for other mental illnesses until their doctors arrive at the correct diagnosis. This is because there are no definitive tests besides ruling out other disorders and doctors can only rely on the symptoms which can appear in more than one mental illness. Some people mistake this as their diagnosis changing or that their treatment is causing new problems. Truth is that their doctors are simply updating their diagnosis as they get more information. This can also happen in diagnosing other disorders and illnesses, so it makes sense that it can happen with mental illnesses.

People with mental illnesses are higher risk of other illnesses, including non-mental ones, and chronic conditions tend to be worse in those with mental illnesses.

About half the people with a mental illness will go untreated (in developed countries such as the United States) despite access to proper care. This is due to several reasons: not knowing where to turn to for help, not realizing they are actually sick and need help, fear of having a mental illness or going crazy, and the stigma associated with having a mental illness.

The number sky-rockets in 3rd world countries to 90% of people with mental illnesses going untreated. Two additional reasons for this are because of the lack of treatment options and access to care and because people in parts of those countries believe those with mental illnesses are cursed rather than sick.

Mental illnesses are the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada for those between the ages of 14 and 55.

Despite effective treatments, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first onset of symptoms and when people seek help, get the right diagnosis, and receive the right treatment.

Treatment is a process of trial-and-error because everyone responds differently to different treatment options. As a result, treatment is very individualized.

Recovery is gradual even when an individual is on the right treatment. Don't expect instant cures. It will take a few weeks-- sometimes longer-- to know if you're on the right tract with your choice of treatment.

Some mental illnesses are life-long but will go into remission once treated. Remission refers to when the disorder's symptoms are successfully treated and are no longer present. This can last anywhere from months to years. Some people remain in remission their whole lives. Any improvement is worth fighting for.

Relapses refer to when when the disorder's symptoms return after a period of being successfully treated and in remission. The chances of relapsing decreases the longer someone stays in remission, but the risk always remains. There are ways to prevent a relapse from occurring or to lessen its impact. Relapses are treatable.

In the U.S., mental disorders are diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM); it was updated in December 2012.

Between 30% and 40% of people living on the streets have untreated mental illnesses. Part of this is because of the lack of long-term care facilities that would have cared for these people. Most of them were shut down in the 1960s, and the ones we have now operate on a short-term basis where patients only stay for a few days to a week... with the goal being to get them well enough for out-patient treatment.

More than 90% of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental illness.

Treatment DOES work, and the vast majority of those with a mental illness will get better with treatment and support. It's just a matter of finding the right treatment for an individual.

Sources:
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