Resources

You are not alone.

Because of the stigma it is not easy to get an accurate number of people that deal with mental health issues.

In school I was always taught it was about 20% of the U.S. population would at one point in their lifetime be effected by their mental health. This was expressed as 1 in 5 people.

Today the numbers are more variable, depending on who you ask.

Johns Hopkins Medicine (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/) published in 6/2024: “An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.”

World Health Organization (WHO - https://www.who.int/) reported in 6/2022: “1 in every 8 people in the world live with a mental disorder”

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH - https://www.nimh.nih.gov/) “One in six U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (43.4 million in 2015).”

National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI - https://www.nami.org/) is a support system for those living with mental health disorders and their loved ones, including both family and friends. It is aimed at promoting education and support, to help people self advocate and make informed decisions. They offer both education and support groups to both the ‘patient’ and the loved ones.

NAMI AZ - https://namiarizona.org/

There are also local break outs of AZ’s NAMI, generally by either county or region.

Many people I have worked with over the years have found NAMI helpful, this includes my patients and their loved ones.

Empowering clients means to equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to engage in Self Advocacy and seek Recovery.

Self Advocacy

Self Advocacy is the skill of being able to put your needs into words and argue for them.

Recovery

Recovery is the state where mental health symptoms are under control and do not interfere with your day to day life.

Chronic Condition

A chronic condition is any illness, disease, or malady that a person will have to deal with long term.

De-stigmatization

Mental illness is often stigmatized in society, making it more difficult for people to seek treatment out of fear of judgement and ridicule. We seek to create an environment where a person does not need to fear seeking to control their chronic conditions and improve their health and lives.