Featured Grant OpportunitySchool Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) (Funding Opportunity) 

Featured Grant OpportunityShare with Youth: NOAA Student Opportunities Database

Featured Grant OpportunityShort Courses in Social Determinants of Health for Research Education in Nursing Research (Funding...

Featured Grant OpportunityResearch on Law Enforcement Responses to Opioid Overdoses (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityComprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) Program (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityRisk and Protective Factors of Family Health and Family Level Interventions (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityPersonnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities--Doctoral...

Featured Grant OpportunityStanding Announcement for Tribal Title IV-E Plan Development Grants (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityProviding Research Education Experiences to Enhance Inclusivity for a Diverse Substance Use and...

Featured Grant OpportunityFY 2024 Research on School-Based Hate Crimes (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityChallenge America (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityResearch and Evaluation on Firearm Violence and Mass Shootings (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityNational Juvenile Court Data Archive (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityGraduate Research Fellowship (Funding Opportunity)

Featured Grant OpportunityCommunity Programs for Outreach and Intervention with Youth and Young Adults at Clinical High Risk...

Featured Grant OpportunityPrint and Disseminate Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials (Funding Opportunity)

## Breadcrumb

            -           May is National Mental Health Month      

# May is National Mental Health Month

Mental Health Month raises awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children, families, and communities. Mental Health Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans' lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health is essential for a person's overall health. Prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can recover from mental disorders and live full and productive lives.

Over the past 20 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and others within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and across the Federal Government, the public health community, and the general public have made efforts to increase the importance of understanding both prevention and treatment of mental health problems. These efforts have significantly improved the outlook for those affected by mental illnesses.

Successful efforts that have raised awareness about the importance of mental health and promoted acceptance, support, prevention and recovery from these mental health conditions include:
                      - The Affordable Care Act expands health insurance coverage to approximately 30 million Americans by 2016, and an estimated 11 million of these newly eligible beneficiaries will have substance abuse and/or mental health service needs.
                      - The Community Mental Health Services Block Grant provides financial assistance to states and territories to carry out state plans to offer comprehensive community-based mental health services and evidence-based practices to adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances.
                      - Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 eliminates the practice of unequal health treatment and improves access to much needed mental health and substance use disorder treatment services through more equitable insurance coverage.
                      - The Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Suicide Prevention Program facilitates coordination across government agencies and the private sector in the development, implementation, and evaluation of youth suicide prevention and early intervention plans among youth-serving institutions, such as schools, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance abuse programs, primary care, mental health programs, foster care systems, and other organizations.

Mental Health Month gives all of us a valuable opportunity to celebrate the tremendous strides this Nation has made in promoting mental health and increasing the public's knowledge that effective services and support are available.

To read U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ full statement on Mental Health Month, click here.

**Resources:**

For further information about National Mental Health Month and related resources and events, visit:

Youth.gov’s Mental Health Youth Topic

Office of Adolescent Health, Adolescent Mental Health

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Mental Health Services Locator

### Announcements

Resource: Race Equity Challenge

Community Programs for Outreach and Intervention with Youth and Young Adults at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (Funding Opportunity)

Resource: National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) Aligned Programs in all 50 States

Webinar Series: Rooting Young Adult Mental Health Services in Culturally Sustaining Values & Practices

Share with Youth: Become a We Think Twice Insider

### Feature Article

Healthy Youth Development through Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation

Youth Voices Have Moved to YE4C

2011-2021 YRBS Data Summary and Trends Report

Dear Colleague Letter: Children Who Have Lost a Caregiver

Resources to Help Youth Cope after a Mass Shooting

### Federal Links

John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood

2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Results

Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes: Thriving in the 21st Century

YRBSS Results: Reports and Fact Sheets

Youth Risk and Behavior Survey: Data Summary and Trends Report, 2007 - 2017