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It's always been my hope that one day, through my art, I would be able to beat the stigma of mental illness, one person at a time.

I guess this is a good start. View the complete set here

 

To view the original photo, go here

 

 

 

Since May is mind your health month**

here are some statistics:

Severe mental illnesses are biologically-based brain diseases that profoundly disrupt a person's ability to think, feel & relate to others or to their environment (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill).

 

5.4 million (2.7%) of adults in the U.S. population have a severe and persistent mental illness (Center for Mental Health Services).

 

11.4 million (5.7%) of adults in the U.S. population have a serious mental illness (Center for Mental Health Services).

 

There are 48.2 million people (24.1%) in the U.S. with any diagnosable (via DSM-III-R) mental disorder in a one-year period (Center for Mental Health Services).

 

Severe mental illnesses are more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill).

 

1 in every 5 families are affected by severe mental illness in their lifetime (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill).

 

Nearly 50% of those seeking mental health care rely on self-payment to pay for the costs of treatment (American Journal of Psychiatry, September 1994).

 

A conservative estimate is that a total of 12% or 7.5 million youths have mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders, yet only 1/5 of them receive treatment (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill).

 

The #1 reason for hospital admissions nationwide is psychiatric disorder (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill).

 

Those dealing with mental illness have been blamed & stigmatized for their disorders because their disorders were so misunderstood (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill).

 

Inform yourself.

start here...

 

Ignorance is far from bliss...

 

** thank you very much E. (u know who you are ;-)

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Uploaded on May 16, 2006
Taken on May 15, 2006