Advocacy and mental health awareness are very important for those struggling to cope with mental illness. An amazing organization that specializes in these things is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Check out their website if you would like to create a membership and keep up to date on the message boards run by mental health consumers:
https://nami.org
One really cool thing that NAMI does are these 5K NAMIWalks. They happen all over the country and are free to participate. They ask you to raise money in the form of donations in order to support the organization. If you raise $100 you even get a free t-shirt, with additional incentives for raising more than that. I am extremely excited to personally be participating in one of these walks in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to sharing how it goes! Here is the website for the Walks if you would like to register:
https://www.namiwalks.org/
I mentioned the message boards earlier. These are an amazing way to reach out to others with mental illness and get their perspectives on symptoms, medications, and treatment. There are different categories based on symptoms and disorders and a general discussion board as well. Finally you get to hear true stories from people like you.
NAMI also has support groups throughout the country. Similar to the idea of Alcoholics Anonymous, these groups meet in the community and provide a safe space for people to talk with each other. Another organization that provides support groups like this is the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). Their website is www.dbsalliance.org if you would like to search for support groups near you.
Lastly, reach out to your counselor and see if they know of any other resources or organizations in your area that may be able to help you. Becoming more aware of mental illness will provide you with a wealth of knowledge and help you to cope with your symptoms.
