MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Mental Illness Awareness Week has been observed since 1990 in the United States as the first full week of October as a time to educate communities about mental illness, raise awareness of mental health conditions, fight discrimination and reduce stigma surrounding mental Illness; and
WHEREAS, 1 in 5 adults in the United States experience a mental illness each year; in North Carolina, 1,469,000 adults have a mental illness, and 356,000 adults have a serious mental illness; and
WHEREAS, 1 in 6 youth ages 6-17 experience a mental illness each year and suicide is the second leading cause of death among North Carolina youth ages 10-18; Mental Health America ranks North Carolina 26th among states for youth in need of mental health care; and
WHEREAS, public stigma toward people with mental illness is harmful, perpetuates discrimination, makes the lives of those with mental illness more challenging and serves as a barrier to people seeking treatment; and
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is instrumental in improving the quality of life for those with mental illness by providing support and services to promote treatment and recovery, including strengthening the crisis system, enhancing services for children and youth, supporting justice-involved individuals and building a stronger behavioral health workforce; and
WHEREAS, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, North Carolina, is dedicated to bettering the lives of individuals with mental illness, upholding inclusion and equity, challenging stigma, raising public awareness, and providing education and support while advocating for people with mental illness and their families;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 6 – 12, 2024, as “MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this ninth day of October in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.