PHILADELPHIA – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) would like to remind everyone about the importance of prioritizing mental health along with physical health. Keep in mind: It’s OK to not be OK. These are difficult times. You are not alone.
In advance of Mental Health Awareness Month, DBHIDS launched the Boost Your Mood campaign to acknowledge the uncertainty and stress many are experiencing as a result of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, racially motivated incidents of violence, and the trauma associated with gun violence. Boost Your Mood makes it easier for people to talk about mental health and access free services and supports the city makes available.
Throughout Mental Health Awareness Month, DBHIDS is partnering with Radio One to host Mental Health Mondays on May 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. Upcoming Mental Health Monday segments will air on 100.3 R&B and Hip Hop and Classix 107.9 covering a wide range of topics with experts and people with lived experience. The segments and additional promotions on Radio One will encourage listeners to visit DBHIDS.org/boost for wellness tips, emergency and non-emergency mental health phone numbers to address needs for children, adults, families, and communities. The site includes expert blogs, a free mental health self-screening, an extensive packet of downloadable information, and newly added resources to help address trauma and violence.
“These past 14 months of isolation, and uncertainty — coupled with financial insecurity, political and social unrest, and increased violence — have had a powerful impact on us all,” DBHIDS Commissioner Jill Bowen, Ph.D., said. “Trauma can affect people in different ways and can negatively affect behavioral wellness. However it affects you and your loved ones, DBHIDS is here to help.”
About DBHIDS
The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, part of the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Health and Human Services, offers behavioral health care, intellectual disability supports and early intervention services in one comprehensive integrated system. For more information about DBHIDS, visit DBHIDS.org.