October 4, 2024
October 6 to 12, 2024 Is Mental Illness Awareness Week
October 10th Is World Mental Health Day
October 6th through October 12th marks the national recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW). The New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc. (NJAMHAA) is pleased to join the community, as well as healthcare providers and other stakeholders across the country, in recognizing the importance of this week and endorses the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ (NAMI’s) theme for MIAW, My Mental Health at Work.
In the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) 2023 Work in America Survey, “55% of workers strongly (21%) or somewhat (34%) agreed that their employer thinks their workplace environment is a lot mentally healthier than it actually is, and 43% reported worrying that if they told their employer about a mental health condition, it would have a negative impact on them in the workplace.” In addition, 77% of workers reported experiencing work-related stress in the past month and 57% had experienced “negative impacts because of work-related stress that are sometimes associated with workplace burnout.” These include emotional exhaustion, a desire to keep to themselves, and irritability or anger with coworkers and customers, according to the APA. Furthermore, 57% of survey respondents indicated that their employers do not adequately support workers’ mental health or overall well-being.
“Mental health support is an essential factor for increasing staff recruitment and retention. This has become even more critical as in many professions — most notably behavioral health care — are experiencing severe workforce shortages,” said Debra L. Wentz, PhD, President and CEO of NJAMHAA.
“NJAMHAA strives for a world in which adults, children and families are empowered by a well-resourced and effective network of high-quality, integrated healthcare and social services. To achieve this vision, the behavioral healthcare workforce needs to be substantially larger and stronger, and to do this, all workers need to feel supported in their places of employment,” Dr. Wentz said.
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