Did you know it’s Mental Illness Awareness Week?

The U.S. Congress has recognized the week of October 6^th as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW), and if you or anyone you know is living with a mental health or neurological condition, it’s time to raise awareness and share your experiences.

Serious mental illnesses cover a lot of different conditions (including depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), and they affect almost five percent of U.S. adults, millions of people.[1] What’s more, the symptoms for each condition described as a mental illness vary greatly. We all have a lot to learn about living with mental illness, and here at PatientsLikeMe, we believe one of the best ways we can live better is through sharing our journeys with one another.

So what else is going on during the week? For starters, MIAW coincides with National Depression Screening Day on October 10th, and you can find out more information about various screenings on the Screening for Mental Health website. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has dozens of other activities planned, and if you are wondering what you can do to help, check out their list of suggestions. You can even share the NAMI’s promotional poster with your friends and family.

The mental health community on PatientsLikeMe loves to chat about everything from general mood updates and photo-blogging to Ryan Gosling, and this week is the perfect time to join the conversation. On PatientsLikeMe, there are over 50,000 members sharing their experiences in the mental health and behavior forums – click here to add your voice to the community today.