May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
This special event is observed throughout the month of May in the United States in order to raise awareness about mental illnesses, as well as suicide, which is often preceded by some form of mental illness. Mental illnesses are more common in the United States (and the World) than one might think. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 26.2 percent of adults (about 57.7 million adults) in the United States alone suffer from some type of mental disorder. Some of the more common mental afflictions include: Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, Eating Disorders, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, Alzheimer's Disease, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Suicide.

A Deeper Look:
I cannot possibly type out what it is like living with a mental illness... Variations of illness, severity, coping skills, treatment options, support, and other factors make it a different experience for everyone. Some people are able to lead a 'normal' life in spite of it, others are made to feel as though life is not worth living. It is difficult for each person, to say the least. Interpersonal relationships, every day tasks, and life itself - things that people without mental illness may take for granted - can be a challenge, even impossible. Nobody can truly understand what it is like, unless they are going through it themselves.

Art Can Help!
Art can be very helpful for someone with a mental illness. Art can be a medium for expressing deep feelings and thoughts that one might normally bottle up inside, which can be very therapeutic. Art can serve to connect different people who feel the same way... find out that he/she is not alone, find someone to talk to, or even make a new friend. Art can also be a means of raising community awareness and support.


Some Wonderful Examples of the Mental Illness Related Art Found on DeviantART:




One More Thing to Keep in Mind:
A similar but more all-encompassing event is World Mental Health Day, which is observed on the 10th of October. However, mental illness itself does not have a month or a day, it affects millions of people every day, throughout many lifetimes... and kindness, love, and support for these people should be around just as much.