As society has modernized, mental health awareness has become less taboo and more socially respectable to seek help and talk about mental health as a whole. There are millions of Americans that suffer from a mental health disorder every year. Certain things, such as stigma, is very destructive and will only prolong an individual’s mental health disorder. Thus, mental health advocacy is a crucial part of promoting support and healing to those that have also been effect by a mental health disorder or know someone who has been.

What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is a process in which an individual promotes awareness for a specific cause or social issue. Fundamentally, advocacy can consist of policy lobbying, educating, volunteering, donating and so much more. Advocacy can apply to any topic because there is always someone who is passionate about various causes. It usually is best implemented for causes which there is little knowledge or awareness about. People that become advocates are usually those that have been personally affected by the cause they are advocating for because it is easier for them to connect to the issue since they have a better understanding of it.

What is Mental Health Advocacy and Why is It Important?
Even if you do not have a mental health disorder it is extremely important to advocate for those with mental health disorders and it is a touching way to make a difference in your community. Mental health advocacy emerged as families of people with mental health disorders were not being treated equally and were being taken advantage of. As the years went by, and more families were fighting to be heard, organizations joined in and began supporting them. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “advocacy is considered to be one of the eleven areas for action in any mental health policy because of the benefits that it produces for people with mental disorders and their families.” (1) Due to the number of people that are affected by mental health disorders, advocacy is important because it allows individuals to make informed decisions about their needs and benefits that will help not only themselves but others as well.

Who Is At The Forefront of Mental Health Advocacy?
Organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA), and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) are only three of many organizations that are at the forefront of mental health advocacy. NAMI was founded in 1979 and has local chapters and over 500 affiliates that educate and advocate for individuals with a mental illness. MHA was founded in 1909 by Clifford W Beers, has more than 200 affiliates and associates around the US that are working hard to protect the rights of those with mental health disorders. MHA has its own screenings for mental health and other programs that support people at all stages in life. The AFSP was founded in 1987 and is a volunteer-based organization that provides community empowerment through education, research, and advocacy for suicide prevention.

What Do You Need To Know To Be An Advocate For Mental Health?
There are no real guidelines when it comes to being a mental health advocate! All it really takes is a passion to help others and promote the education and awareness of a social topic.

References:
(1) World Health Organization (WHO). “ADVOCACY FOR MENTAL HEALTH,” https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/services/1_advocacy_WEB_07.pdf.

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According to a recent poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), about 45% of adults in the United States (US) have said that their mental health has debilitated since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the very beginning of this pandemic, there has been and still is a lot of uncertainty regarding what society is going to look like and what members of a society should be doing to help combat it. Many individuals’ lives have been impeded which has added further stress to the mix.

The first population that is experiencing a high impact on their mental health are frontline workers, especially in healthcare. They are the ones that have seen the most frightening side of COVID-19 and are being supported the least. Many healthcare workers have been very transparent regarding personal protection equipment (PPE) shortages and the lack of training that they have been provided when being placed to work in COVID-19 units. The next biggest factor that has caused them further additional stress is when people say that “they signed up for this.” No, they did not. Healthcare workers signed up to help and treat people in the units that they were trained for, not to be thrown into a situation, blindsided, and without the proper equipment to keep them, and their families safe. It will take many healthcare workers quite a while before they will be able to be relieved of the post-traumatic stress and anxiety that was caused by the way they were treated and are still being treated during this time.

The first population that is experiencing a high impact on their mental health are frontline workers, especially in healthcare. They are the ones that have seen the most frightening side of COVID-19 and are being supported the least.

Many healthcare workers have been very transparent regarding personal protection equipment (PPE) shortages and the lack of training that they have been provided when being placed to work in COVID-19 units. The next biggest factor that has caused them further additional stress is when people say that “they signed up for this.” No, they did not. Healthcare workers signed up to help and treat people in the units that they were trained for, not to be thrown into a situation, blindsided, and without the proper equipment to keep them, and their families safe. It will take many healthcare workers quite a while before they will be able to be relieved of the post-traumatic stress and anxiety that was caused by the way they were treated and are still being treated during this time.

The second population that is currently experiencing an impact on their mental health are most likely adults that are older and/or adults that have pre-existing health conditions because they have to take extreme precautions in order to stay safe. Most likely, this means that they have to decrease if not completely stop interactions with others such as friends and loved ones.

The lack of social interaction may lead to heightened anxiety and depression. For those that may not necessarily be of older age, but have preexisting health conditions that position them at greater risk from having complications of the coronavirus, mental health is also of concern. According to KFF, there is research proving that those with chronic illnesses or preexisting conditions may already be at a greater risk of developing a mental health disorder, and the situation with the pandemic will only increase those chances because of the precautions they have to take in hand with the self-isolation.

Another population of adults that should definitely not been left out of the mix is adults that have kids at home and are trying to balance homeschooling with either working remotely or job loss/loss of income. A statistic from the Department of Labor showed that “5.2 million people filed for unemployment benefits during the week of April 5, bringing the four-week total to a historic 22 million people filing for unemployment.” Especially during this time, when it is harder to receive unemployment benefits and parents are also having to homeschool their children and monitor them to make sure that they are doing what is needed to be done, anxiety and depression can definitely pop up.

While many providers and mental healthcare workers have transitioned to teletherapy there are still many obstacles that need to be solved. Other mental healthcare services are seeing a shortage right now because of the need that is being requested. There are many burdens that have formed since the beginning of this pandemic and there is no knowing how long they will last.

References
(1) Panchal, Nirmita, Rabah Kamal, Kendal Orgera, Cynthia Cox Follow @cynthiaccox, Rachel Garfield, Liz Hamel, Cailey Muñana, and Priya Chidambaram. “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, April 21, 2020. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/.
(2) Ibid.

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