May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and advocates and organizations are raising awareness around the importance of expanding access to mental health services, particularly in the current crisis.
Since the onset of the COVID crisis, the gender gap in mental health has grown by 66 percent, accounting almost entirely for the national rise of mental illness. Experts attribute this gap to many factors including increased care responsibilities and domestic work that are falling primarily to women; women’s higher likelihood to lose, leave, or scale back their current jobs; and women comprising the majority of essential workers and breadwinners.
This Take Action Tuesday, take action to ensure that lawmakers understand the mental health gender gap and prioritize women’s access to mental health services.
- Learn About The Issue. Check out advocacy organizations like Mental Health America and the National Alliance on Mental Illness to learn more about the scope, nature, and urgency of the issue before approaching lawmakers to ask for their support.
- Join Forces. Make your advocacy more impactful by plugging into the advocacy activities of organizations that align with your values. Sign up for NAMI’s action alerts here, and check out Mental Health America’s Virtual Hill Day Advocacy Toolkit for talking points and advocacy strategies.
- Contact Your Lawmakers. Visit our Action Centerto contact your state and federal lawmakers, and ask them to support access to mental health in your community.
How are you taking action during Mental Health Awareness Month? Let us know at info@aitogther.org.
