Skip to main content

Celebrating Mental Illness Awareness in October

The month of October honors people living with mental illness in diverse ways...

In fact, in 1945 the United States government made the first week of October, "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." However, in 1962 the word "Physically" was removed to honor all people with disabilities. And in 1988, the government expanded the calendar recognition to promote the entire month of October and also changed the name of the holiday to National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and the theme for 2013: "Because we are EQUAL to the task." Campaigns to raise awareness around disability employment issues, and to celebrate the diverse contributions of workers living with disabilities is carried out during this month.

Moreover, the certified peer specialist (CPS) position recognizes and supports people living with mental illness who want to work with peers affected by mental illness by becoming certified as a peer counselor. CPSs learn about the stages of recovery, how to communicate with and advocate for peers, and to facilitate self-help meetings among other duties and responsibilities. To learn more about this certification visit: www.gacps.org

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a grassroots non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing advocacy, education, support, and research to children and adults affected by mental illness. Each year NAMI celebrates mental illness awareness month during the first full week of October. This year, NAMI is celebrating mental illness awareness week (MIAW) October 6-12, 2013. Please support mental health events and programs in your area especially this week!

Atlanta Area: Attend the Whole Health & Wellness Conference on Saturday, October 12th from 1-4 PM at the College Park Recreation Center in College Park, Georgia. Furthermore, I will share my experience living with mental illness among other presenters. Founder and visionary of the conference is Mrs. Kenya Rucker Phillips. For details about this conference visit the website: www.whwcatlanta.com

Comments

sbxsupplements.com said…
It is so important that successful people like you tell your story so that we can correct the misunderstandings about schizophrenia and remove the stigma. Well done!

Matthew Riba
October 30, 2013 at 6:00 PM
Ashley Smith said…
Thank you, Matthew Riba! It helps to be encouraged...

:-)Ashley Smith
November 10, 2013 at 8:48 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

by A Guest Blogger: For Addicts, Recovery Means Creating a New Life

If you’re struggling to maintain your sobriety, you aren’t alone. There are millions of fighters just like you working toward reclaiming their lives from drugs and alcohol. There are a few common traits that many successful recovering addicts share. Keep reading to find out what they are and how you can follow in their footsteps. They establish new patterns You can’t continue to live your life the same was you did when you were using. You must change and adapt to your newfound sobriety. Consider a career change; many recovering addicts find they have more success by starting their own business. One career that is easy to enter is dog walking. As a dog walker , you’ll reap many rewards including getting to spend time with dogs, which can actually boost your recovery efforts and stave off depression. Dogs have been used as part of a treatment plan for users as young as 11 and come with the added benefit of helping you stay physically active. Plus, being with
2 comments
Read more

No, Please, That's Not Me

Prior to my diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia I did some things that I am not proud of. Now that I look back on things I blame my illness for my poor judgment. I am by no means condoning the behavior I carried out, and will share with you here. I will provide a few instances where my behavior was unlike me and caused an uproar. This post shows how schizophrenia affects other people. This post is for the family members and friends of people with schizophrenia, or showing bizarre behaviors. First, I asked my mother permission to give my friend a statue that was in my mother's house. My mother agreed to give my friend the statue, however, I took her permission a step further to get rid of what she had at my discretion. At the time I did not live with my mother who was away on a business trip. My mother buys and sells things so she had a lot of collectibles, antiques, and other interesting stuff. While my friend and me were in my mother's house my friend saw a lot of stuff that s
5 comments
Read more

What Is Remission?

Remission is the absence of symptoms for at least six months with the support of medication. In other words, a doctor who has never seen you before may not diagnose you as a person with schizophrenia anymore. Remission is also high functioning in several aspects of life, living independently, goinig to school or to work, and socializing with other people. However, this does not mean the patient is cured or the illness has went away, the illness is still present, however, under control. Remission is achieved with the assistance of medication. "Published studies suggest that 10% to 20% of people with schizophrenia have remission of their illness as they get older, 20% get worse, but in a large majority (60% to 70%), the course of illness remains relatively unchanged." To reach remission it is recommended that you aim for a stress-free environment. Therefore, do things to relieve stress such as journaling, exercising, talking to friends, listening to or creating music, making a
9 comments
Read more