Sweetser News & Events

Mental Illness Awareness Week October 1 – 7

Posted on 11/06/2006 at 02:08 pm

September 25, 2006   Mental health agencies across the state will join forces again this year to offer public educational opportunities during Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 1 – 7. Among this year’s planned activities are public lectures, health screenings for depression and anxiety, public service announcements on local radio stations, and information booths and suggested reading lists at participating libraries.

This year’s events are sponsored by some of southern Maine’s largest mental health treatment agencies, including Community Counseling Center, Ingraham, and Shalom House of Portland, as well as Spurwink, Sweetser, Counseling Services, Inc., and TriCounty Mental Health Services. The Maine Chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill is also sponsoring some events. All of the organizations have worked together for the past several years to raise awareness of mental health issues during this nationally recognized week.

“One in four people will experience mental illness at some point in their lives,” says Girard Robinson, MD, chief of psychiatry at Spring Harbor Hospital and Maine Medical Center, two of the event sponsors. “These disorders will be the number one cause of disability worldwide by the year 2010.”

Because so many families are personally affected by this illness or know someone who is, Robinson says Mental Illness Awareness Week gives healthcare professionals a chance to “talk about symptoms, effective treatments, and to help dispel myths that still surround this illness.”

One of those myths, Robinson notes, is that mental disorders have no biological basis, but instead result from poor upbringing or a character weakness. “That myth continues to linger, despite decades of education and outreach by the healthcare community,” he says. “In truth, mental illness is characterized by chemical imbalances in the brain that usually respond well to a combined regimen of medication and talk therapy.”

The public can learn more about mental illness and how to maintain optimum mental health by visiting various events and venues. View a flyer of the week’s events.