Did you know that one in four adults – or approximately 57.7 million Americans – experiences a mental health problem in any given year?  Or that one in 17 lives with a serious, chronic mental illness?

Since 1990, National Mental Illness Awareness Week has been recognized by the U.S. Congress as a time for mental health advocates and patients to join together for various awareness-raising activities. Sponsored by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the goal of this week is to transform the way we think about mental illness, which is defined by NAMI as “a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning.”

Like any other medical condition affecting a particular organ, mental illness is not caused by personal weakness or character defects, and it can affect individuals of any age, race, religion or income.  As an example, some famous people who are known to have lived with mental illness include Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Gandhi, Tennessee Williams and Mike Wallace (who was eulogized by one of our members last June).  Below is a new PSA ad for National Mental Illness Awareness Week 2012 that focuses on some of these legendary icons, stressing that “you are not alone in this fight.”

But what about feeling like no one understands what you’re going through?  That’s where finding others like you – such as those with the same diagnosis (or diagnoses), symptoms or treatment side effects – comes in.  At PatientsLikeMe, we have tens of thousands of patients sharing their experiences with more than 60 mental health conditions, including:

• Bipolar disorder
• Eating disorder
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Major depressive disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Phobic disorder
• Postpartum depression
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

In addition to exchanging in-depth treatment evaluations about the effectiveness and side effects of commonly prescribed medications such as Cymbalta, Klonopin or Wellbutrin, our members are connecting and supporting each other daily in our Mental Health and Behavior Forum.  Currently, there are more than 39,000 participants and more than 333,000 posts in this highly active forum, where you can find answers, empathy, humor and thought-provoking conversations day or night.

Get to know our mental health community – including what depression feels like to them or how PatientsLikeMe has helped them be more open about their condition – today.  Also, stay tuned for some tips from our community about what to do and not do when interacting with someone who is living with a mental health condition.

Are you in recovery from an addiction or mental health disorder – or do you know someone who is?  The theme for National Recovery Month 2012, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is “Join the Voices for Recovery: It’s Worth It!”

There are several different ways to participate in this annual event, which promotes the societal benefits of prevention and treatment for mental and substance use disorders:

• You can find or sponsor a community event
• Add an awareness widget to your website
• Enter pictures in the Flickr challenge
• Order a customizable PSA for local TV

Now in its 23rd year, National Recovery Month was founded on the belief that we should celebrate the gains made by those in recovery, just as we would with those who are managing other health conditions.  The goal is to spread the positive message you can live a healthy and rewarding life with the aid of treatment and mental health services.

Are you looking to start on the road to recovery?  Reclaim your life by calling SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP), where you can be assisted in both English and Spanish.  If you’re already in recovery, find solidarity and support by connecting with others like you at PatientsLikeMe.  We have thousands of patients sharing their experiences with numerous disorders, including:

• Alcohol addiction
• Bipolar disorder
• Drug addiction
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Major depressive disorder
• Phobic disorder
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Exchange stories and tips – as well as in-depth treatment evaluations – with those who can truly relate today.

We are excited to present the first member video for the PatientsLikeMe Mood community and what better way to kick it off than with one that represents the voice of the patient.

In June, we launched The Patient Voice with the inaugural report on inpatient therapy, a topic often discussed by our Mood community members.  At the time of the report, 63% of patients on our site reported an efficacy of “moderate” or “major” for inpatient therapy.

Many patients have already benefited from the information in the report, so we decided to create a video that highlights our patient members’ tips and experiences. Check it out on our YouTube or Facebook page, but if you visit the latter don’t forget to become our fan!

If you want to know more about patients’ experiences with inpatient therapy, you can download the full report here. It includes even more tips and personal stories, interesting facts about the PatientsLikeMe community and a worksheet that will help you make the most out of your hospital stay. Of course, none of this would have been possible if patients like you were not willing to share. We are always eager to hear what you have to say, so please share on.

Once again, special thanks to our summer intern, Shane, for his work on the video!