Mental Health Week and Childhood Depression Awareness Day - May 6

Mental Health Week and Childhood Depression Awareness Day - May 6
The Story of Our Symbol - The Mental Health Bell


Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness.

—Inscription on Mental Health Bell
During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.
In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1956, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell.


Now the symbol of Mental Health America, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental illnesses. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over mental illnesses.

Over the years, national mental health leaders and other prominent individuals have rung the Bell to mark the continued progress in the fight for victory over mental illnesses.


Beverly's Hot Tips For Celebrating Mental Health Week:

During Mental Health Week, Canadians are being advised that the best way to manage their stress is to invest in the things that matter most.

Invest in your family

• Talk, vent and listen to each other.
• Be honest and open with each other about the stress in your life especially around finances.
• Be proactive. Examine your finances, prepare a budget, get help if you need it.
• Invest in fun. Learn to play.
• Keep problems in perspective. Look at the challenges you have faced before and see how far you have come.
  

Invest in your friends

• Reach out to your friends.
• Share challenges and insights with friends.
• Friendships are built on laughter - get out and socialize with those who are closest to you.
• Invest in your workplace
• Open lines of communication.
• Build supportive relationships with people in your workplace.
• Make use of support services such as your EAP, HR or health benefits.
  

Invest in yourself

• Address the big things that are causing you stress.
• Use the S-O-S Approach to solving your issues and taking care of yourself.
• A professional perspective can help you turn things around. Are your finances the source of your stress? Seek the help of a financial planner or debt counselor. Feeling vulnerable in your job? Speak to a career counselor and make a career plan. Are your relationships with loved ones strained? Speak to a counselor to work it through. Do you fear that your stress is turning into depression? Meet immediately with a mental health specialist.
• Take time for yourself
  Read a book, listen to music, play a game, go for a walk, meditate, write in your diary, or take up a relaxing hobby.
• Eat healthy meals and snacks.
• Get fresh air and exercise everyday -- even just a little bit will do a lot of good.

May 4-10, 2009 is Mental Health Week. "Educate yourself. Educate others. Bring mental health and mental illness workshops into the corporate world and examine policies and attitudes that prevent those experiencing mental health issues from getting the help that they need." says Beverly Beuermann-King.

Click to read another Mental Health related article.

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If you have some strategies to share - comment on this posting!

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