Mental Health Awareness Month occurs in the month of May.

Senior Life Solutions Program Director Dianne Allsup says that Mental Health Awareness Month was first introduced in 1949 by Mental Health America as Mental Health Week to help educate Americans about mental illnesses and health. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio more on the subject of mental health.

“So mental health refers to a person’s overall psychological well being. It encompasses the way that individuals think, feel and behave, as well as how they cope with the ups and downs of life. Good mental health isn’t just the absence of mental illness. It actually involves having the resilience to handle stress, maintain positive relationships, and make healthy choices. Mental health can be influenced by various factors, including biological, environmental and social.”

Allsup mentions biological factors can include genetics and brain chemistry, while environmental factors include upbringing, trauma and life choices. She adds that social factors usually include socioeconomic status, access to resources and cultural norms. Allsup shares that each year for Mental Health Awareness Month, organizations come together to teach about mental health and help improve access to care while educating on signs and symptoms of mental illnesses.