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The National Day Without Stigma coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs the first full week of October, this year from Oct. 4 to 10.
National Depression Screening Day is set for Oct. 8 and World Mental Health Day is Oct. 10.
Supporters are being asked by the National Alliance for Mental Illness to take a pledge to be “Stigma-free.”
Among its core services, the Putnam County Health Department offers help for those with mental illness.
It is the government’s duty to protect its citizens and to help people with mental illness, said County Executive MaryEllen Odell.
“It is the Year of the Family in Putnam County and our focus has been, and always will be, to keep the family unit together. That’s why we established a suicide prevention task force and why it is so important to reduce the stigma often linked to mental illness. Stigma causes shame, leaving people reluctant to seek health,” she continued.
Health Commissioner Allen Beals, M.D. said there are “effective treatments for mental illness and that mental health disorders should be regarded by physicians like other chronic health conditions.
These initiatives are part of Putnam County’s Community Health Improvement Plan and its focus on improving mental, emotional and behavioral health.
Other agencies are working in partnership on this plan, including the Mental Health Association of Putnam County and the Putnam County Department of Health.
The National Day Without Stigma is a program of Active Minds, a national non-profit dedicated to changing the way society talks about mental health.
For more information, visit www.putnamcountyny.com/health or follow the agency on Facebook and Twitter.
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