For 25 years, the first full week of October has been Mental Illness Awareness Week.  One in five, or 20% of the population, live with some kind of mental health condition, with one in 25 living with a serious mental illness that substantially limits one’s life activities.  Those living with mental illness fight stigma while trying to survive under internal duress.  Awareness is important so that resources are made available to those who need them and the stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental illnesses will be reduced.   Everyone has stress and difficult emotions on occasion, and this is completely normal. […]