This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 5-October 11, 2008). In 1990 The United States Congress named the first week of October Mental Illness Awareness Week. National Day of Prayer fo Mental Illness Awareness Recovery and Understanding is Tuesday, October 7, 2008; Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day (BDAD) is held on the Thursday, October 9, 2008; National Depression Screening Day is Friday, October 10, 2008 of Mental Illness Awareness Week. Go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website and contact your local NAMI group to see what activities are taking place this week in your neigborhood at http://www.nami.org/ . "According to the National Institute for Mental Health, today there are approximately thirty-five million persons who suffer the burdens of some form of mental illness. Twelve million are children. Ten million have chronic mental illness" ( http://www.abc-usa.org/resources/resol/mentill.htm ).
This blog is about educating and empowering peers, caregivers, and loved ones with hope for recovery. I describe my experience living with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. I've been in recovery since 2007. I've experienced setbacks, but also triumphed through challenges. I encourage you to share your thoughts and to believe that better days are attainable. Thank you for visiting. Welcome to my life in recovery... Ashley Smith