Mental health plays a very important role in ones day-to-day life, whether it is a positive or negative role. Since May is national mental health awareness month, there are many things that one can do to help raise awareness and spread positivity in your community. Sophomore Victor Morats said, “Mental health is an important topic and it in itself is not necessarily bad, but must be understood in order to be combated.” You can help make a change in your community today by doing simple and helpful tasks. Although it is a wonderful thing to want to help someone, before you start reaching out to others, you want to make sure to educate yourself about mental illnesses first.

 One of the easiest things you can do is simply talk to someone who you think might be struggling. Reach out to them as a non-judgemental friend they can open up to. However, you want to make sure to watch your words when talking to someone suffering a mental illness; do not use words such as insane or crazy when talking about their experiences. Regularly check in with them and make sure they are doing alright. By doing this, you are letting them know that they have someone who will be there for them during hard times, which can really help someone out.

 Another great thing you can do is start a support group right at your school or with a group of friends. It is a good way to help bring awareness into your school and to your peers. It is also known to be easier to talk to someone who has possibly shared those feelings, thoughts, or experiences.

 While talking to trustworthy friends or a support group is very helpful in maintaining a healthy mental state, sometimes people need additional support. For a behavior to be classified as an mental disorder there has to be ongoing patterns of feelings, actions or thoughts that are distressful, dysfunctional and/or deviant. It is so important to shed light on this topic because of how drastic the impact can be on someone and the impact on people around them. Around 19.6 percent of the adult population, or 45.6 million people, in America suffer from a range of mental illnesses; Only 38.2 percent of those suffering actually receive professional help. The main reason for not receiving mental health services is because around 50.1 percent cannot afford the cost. With this information, you can help by reaching out to your local government or other companies around your community to see how else you can help.

 Remember, even though May is national mental health awareness month, you can still do any of these things during any time of the year!