The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) shared that in the United States, an astounding one in five adults live with a mental health condition, a number that has grown significantly in recent years. What is this mental health epidemic, and why does it matter?
Following the influx of World War II veterans suffering from mental illness, Mental Health Awareness Week — which eventually turned into a month — was initiated in 1949. It was dedicated to raising awareness about depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as fighting to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness (Lehigh Center for Clinical Research).
At present, Mental Health Awareness Month has become a global event, celebrated in October in many parts of the world. In the United States, it is observed over the month of May. Although mental illness used to be heavily discredited and scorned, and still occasionally is, the social environment regarding the topic has greatly improved over time.
Resources and help for those in need have also vastly increased in availability. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 ensured that insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) treatments was equal in coverage to other medical conditions. Later in 2010, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law to cover millions of Americans for MH/SUD treatment services. Multitudes of suicide prevention programs have also been entrenched into baseline resources, the most well-known being the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988).
Mental health support can also come locally and even from within Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech). Counselors, advisors and many teachers are always available to aid students in need. A more recent addition to Foothill Tech is the campus’s very own Wellness Center, headed by advisor Rebecca Wulff.
Similar to last year, the center is planning to celebrate the month by providing relief and mental health services in the weeks leading up to and during Advanced Placement (AP) exams and finals week, bringing petting zoos, sharing fliers for resources and providing fidget toys.
Wulff shared, “We will be doing something for each of our Wellness Wednesdays, and we’ll be starting the month off by doing a ‘Green Giveaway’ of stickers, pins and all sorts of stress balls, all to raise awareness.”
A new activity planned for this year is also the “Sleep Week” presentation, where Wellness Peers — students volunteering at the Wellness Center — present the significance of a good night’s sleep for one’s mental state.
Finnegan Alleman ’26, a current Wellness Peer, commented on the state of mental well-being at Foothill Tech. “Mental health is a problem in high schools. Especially since we’re known to be a pretty academically rigorous school, with that rigor comes a lot of anxiety. We’ve done surveys of the school and found that there’s a lot of anxiety related to the school — that’s definitely something [the Wellness Center is] trying to combat.”
Alleman further explained, “This is a month where we highlight that it’s okay to be going through something mentally and to get help; the Wellness Center is somewhere you can come and get help, mental or physical.”
Checking in with your mental health is just as crucial as maintaining your physical health, but many communities around the world have yet to learn about it. With this year’s May Mental Health Awareness Month, encourage friends, loved ones and yourself to seek out mental health guidance or help!
