Turning Awareness Into Action
This World Mental Health Day, awareness is just the beginning.
As a social media gal, usually awareness days make me cringe–the generic statements, vanilla templates, and often dubious connection to a business’ marketing goals. Unless, of course, the awareness day is tied to the business’ mission and purpose.
That’s what today, World Mental Health Day, feels like for me–it holds a lot of meaning as a writer in the healthcare space and a mental health advocate. I swell with pride thinking about where I was just a few years ago, petrified to tell anyone my secret of lifelong mental health struggles. Now, today, I proudly don the title, Mentally Fit Founder.
However, as a writer living in a scientific world, I’m deeply invested in research and outcomes. So days like today make me wonder: after the green ribbons and mental health stats fade into the depths of our feeds, what happens next? Are we taking action to make changes?
Because now, more than ever, we need action. There are many confirmed and proposed cuts to mental health programs across the country. The gap between what we say and what we do has never been wider.
Think of it this way: awareness without action is like diagnosis without treatment—it identifies a problem without healing it. (And yes, the irony of that statement isn’t lost on me.)
Awareness Got Us Here
Here’s the thing–we’ve come a long way in battling the mental health stigma, so I’m not downplaying that by any stretch. No one knows that better than me. I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s when you sucked it up or swept it under the rug.
Even into the 2000’s when I entered the corporate world, mental health was just not talked about. I remember telling my first job that I had a physical therapy appointment I had to go to because I was terrified to admit to my lifelong mental health struggles.
Today, I proudly tell people how important therapy has been in my journey. That shift didn’t just happen overnight or alone. It happened because brave people stood up and said they struggled, too. Seeing others share their stories gave me the courage to share mine.
Watching awareness campaigns sprout up helped me realize I wasn't alone in my journey. Awareness normalized the conversation. Awareness got me here today.
But to truly get mental health on par with physical health, we still have a long way to go. And getting there demands action.
Action Will Get Us Through
Listen, I’m not saying there is inaction. Many wonderful organizations are making immense strides. But I fear the current political atmosphere is jeopardizing progress.
Right now, there are federal and state budget reductions to behavioral health services, loss of workforce programs, and cuts to critical children’s programs.
Just to highlight a few:
The U.S. Education Department announced that it will cancel about $1 billion in federal grants that were intended to support mental health services in schools.
The Department of Justice cut $88 million in grants for substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and programs that integrate public safety & health.
A proposed restructuring includes a $1 billion cut to community mental health programs, suicide prevention, and substance use disorders funding (via SAMHSA, HRSA, etc.).
Yet, while these cuts are being made, mental health diagnoses and demand for care are rising. Here are just a few startling facts:
Between 2016 and 2023, the prevalence of diagnosed mental or behavioral health conditions among adolescents increased 35 percent (from 15.0% to 20.3%).
Depression prevalence has risen ~60% in the past decade.
And while diagnoses are on the rise everywhere, not everyone has the same access to care. People of color and those living below the poverty line face higher rates of depression and anxiety, but far fewer treatment options. For example:
In the U.S., nearly two-thirds of Black adults with major depression don’t receive mental health care at all.
Low-income adults are up to three times more likely to experience anxiety or depression—often with nowhere to turn.
Even worse, while the demand for mental health care rises, the supply of professionals isn’t keeping pace, especially in low-income and rural areas.
In the most tangible terms: this means your family member is waiting six months for therapy, your kid is struggling in school with no support programs, or your friend has resorted to social media (or even AI chatbots!?) to get the help they desperately need.
Turning Awareness into Action
So what can we do?
Don’t stop sharing those green ribbons and heartfelt posts—they still matter. But awareness only works when it’s paired with action.
Here are five action steps you can take today:
Advocate: Speak up against cuts. Contact your representatives, sign petitions, attend town meetings, and be a voice for those who don’t have one.
Invest: Support local organizations providing mental health care, especially those serving marginalized communities.
Share: Don’t be afraid to share your story. The more we share, the more we normalize important mental health conversations.
Stop the stigma: Correct people when they use mental illnesses as a trivial descriptor or an insult. Use people-first language or terms preferred by the patient populations.
Be kind: Action isn’t always loud–sometimes it’s setting an example and practicing what all those awareness posts talk about. So check on your friends, ask for help, give yourself grace, and don’t go it alone.
We may not be able to reverse every cut, but no action is the fastest way to lose everything we’ve gained; progress isn’t immediate–it happens one small step at a time.
What Collective Action Looks Like
Seriously, don’t go it alone. Collective action is what makes a difference. That’s why I always preach about finding your people and joining groups. Being with others who understand what you’re going through is naturally empowering. You feel compelled to do more when you’re with people who understand. That’s why groups like the Chronic Boss Collective and platforms like The Mentally Fit Founder are so important to me.
Collective action is what leads to systemic change. Yes, sharing your individual story is critical–that’s what creates cultural change. But actual, tangible change–that’s where the magic happens.
Closing
I want to end by saying that by no means am I taking all the actions I’ve mentioned above because part of living with a mental illness is knowing when you need to take care of yourself. So maybe today you check on a friend, and tomorrow you make a few calls to your state government, and next month you attend a charity walk for a mental health cause. It’s OK not to do it all, but it’s not OK to just share a post about mental health and call it a day.
Awareness opened the book. Action will write the next chapter (sorry, writer analogies).
This Mental Health Awareness Day, let’s do more than ribbons and hashtags—let’s take action.
