October 7-13 has been declared “Mental Illness Awareness Week”
in the U.S. This annual health observance to raise mental
illness awareness was declared by an Act of Congress in 1990, to
occur in the first full week of October each year. The
observance, sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI), a non-profit organization, and its local affiliates,
includes many educational activities, NAMI Walks, seminars, and
other events to raise awareness and understanding of mental
illness and help provide education and resources to combat these
serious medical conditions. At the same time, October 10 each
year has been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as
“World Mental Health Day.” This year the focus and theme of
World Mental Health Day is on “Depression: A Global Crisis.”
Among the most prevalent of mental illnesses – especially among
seniors – is Depression. According to NAMI, “Depression affects
more than 6.5 million of the 35 million Americans aged 65 years
or older.” Focus on Depressi