Freedom From Fear Launches Mental Health Wellness Week


Mental Health: Stress and Work
Image by xeeliz via Flickr

I think we need more of these types of campaigns run by more grassroots public awareness groups.

This is a wonderful idea!  We need people to understand that mental health is entwined with physical health and should be treated the same.  We need people to know that mind and body work together as a whole and treating the whole is better than just treating the parts.

We also need these groups to continue to fight against the stigma of our mental health patients.  Mental health problems can affect anyone, anywhere.  Let’s all participate in the Mental Health Wellness Week campaign!

 

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National Wellness Event Will Run November 14-21, 2009

NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — This week is Mental Health Wellness Week, a grassroots public awareness campaign running through November 21. Freedom From Fear, the organization behind Mental Health Wellness Week, believes that this inaugural annual event couldn’t come at a better time.

Mounting evidence shows that the mind and body greatly affect one another. It is well documented that a large percentage of illnesses and disease are a direct result of stress. People now, more than ever, need access to tools that help manage stress, create a positive mindset and help them to take proactive steps to maintain good health.

“We live in very stressful times. Financial crises, high rates of unemployment and overseas conflicts are only a few of the many problems Americans face each day in addition to their own personal worries,” explains Mary Guardino, founder and executive director of Freedom From Fear. “People are seeking assistance to help manage the pressures they face in their daily lives. Unfortunately, many people don’t know that there are simple steps that can be of great help in reducing the stress, anxiety and depression levels.”

Mental Health Wellness Week provides national guidance and centralized resources to help people – both organizations and individuals – build awareness and implement programs in their own communities. The campaign encourages and supports companies, clinicians, communities and individuals to learn helpful coping skills, establish opportunities for self development and provide education on the benefits of good mental health wellness. For more information or to register for a free CD ROM go to www.mhww.org.

Freedom From Fear, the organization behind Mental Health Wellness Week, has a history of dedicating resources to wellness causes. The organization previously launched successful national programs geared at combating mental illness such as National Anxiety and Depression Week. Mental Health Wellness Week will be the largest campaign it has launched, reaching out to hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals. Using such vast resources, this campaign will spread wellness to those in need.

Freedom From Fear (FFF) is a national not-for-profit mental health advocacy association founded in 1984 by Mary Guardino. The organization’s mission is to positively impact the lives of those affected by anxiety, depressive and related disorders through advocacy, education, research and community support. The organization provides its members with research, grants, education, training, support and advocacy.

For more information about Freedom From Fear, please go to www.freedomfromfear.org.

SOURCE PRNewswire.com

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4 responses to “Freedom From Fear Launches Mental Health Wellness Week”

  1. Hello I am a service user rep in the uk,i wondered if there was possibly a way of reducing stigma by making the labels an almost everyday part of the languauge there by mis directing the effects on the individual.
    I knoiw that this si a radical approach but i have3 questioned our approach to stigma a wonderif we are the ones who sometimes feed that stigma without realising it.
    Would be grateful for your opinions on this.
    Thanks.

    • Tyler,
      That is a very interesting way to approach the problem. I can honestly say that I have never thought of it. I’m not sure how we would go about changing the language, but it is a very innovative thought. I am certain that we all feed the “stigma” in some way or another. I’ll have to think on this. Thanks for your input. Feel free to visit again anytime.

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