Fact: Depression will rank second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide by the year 2020, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

World Mental Health Day 2008

Fast approaching is a day that advocates for mental health patients, bringing light in today's day and age with lack of education and awareness to something so plaguing. The #dALIFE Help with Life chat helps with many people with life-related problems every day, and as such feels its part in the deviantART community to break borders and try to expand knowledge on something so complex as mental health.

As such, in getting ready for the October 10th, 2008 World Mental Health Day, we are putting on a "How Does it Feel?" contest, and preparing for an "In-Chat Discussion" around mental health and what we can do as a collective whole to help.

Throughout this news article, we will also feature facts and myths relating to mental health - some of them you might find very surprising. At the bottom of the article are our sources as well that we urge you to look into and find out more about mental health that may have been under your nose this entire time.

Fact: Excessive stress has been linked to infectious disease and cardiovascular problems, higher incidence of back pain, repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), colorectal cancer.

How Does It Feel? Contest

For this contest, we simply ask the question: "How Does it Feel?" How does it feel to be a mental health patient? How does it feel to interact with a person with mental health issues that doesn't understand them? How does it feel to be a family member of someone who has mental health concerns?

We want you to design posters. Take photos. Draw. Write. Do whatever you do. We want you to create something that tries to sum up how it feels. There aren't any rules for this one - we just ask you try to keep all of the entries clean from excessive violence/nudity/etc.

^{Contest deadline is October 10, 2008 at 24:59:59 EST.
All entries should be noted to the ~devlife account with the subject line as "How Does it Feel?" including a link to the deviation.
All entries will be judged by a secret panel consisting of various #dALIFE Helpers.
Prizes will be awarded for first and second place winners. A full, updated prize list can be found here.
If you would like to donate a prize, please get in contact with =arthaus.}

Myth: Mental illness is the same as mental retardation.
Fact: These are two different disorders; retardation is generally associated with a limitation in mental functioning as well as difficulties with certain daily living activities. With persons who suffer from psychiatric disabilities, the limitations in intellectual functioning vary as it does across the general public.

In-Chat Discussion

On October 11, 2008, meet with other deviants to both share experiences with mental health, and find ways that we as the deviantART community can bring awareness to mental health. #dALIFE will be hosting a chat channel discussion from 4PM-10PM EST (GMT 8PM-2AM) that everyone is invited to. We would love for you to come and share your experiences (or hear from others) - through this discussion we hope to find ways that we can take steps towards a brighter tomorrow.

^{The chat will be hosted in #dALIFE ([link]).}

Fact: In response to societal stigma and negative stereotypes about mental illness, people often conceal symptoms and fail to seek treatment.

In Closing

We hope to find you in chat on October 11th for our discussion, and are anxious to see your submissions into our ongoing How Does it Feel? contest. If you are interested in helping in or out of chat, please contact =arthaus for more information.

Stay well, and stay devious,

The #dALIFE Help with Life Chat Channel Team

Fact: When a person experiences a mental health problem and they obtain treatment in the first few months of their illness, early recovery is more likely; early detection and treatment also reduce the likelihood that the mental health problem will become chronic.

^{Myths and facts taken from: here and here.}