Keep Your Brains Busy This March!

Mark your calendars, readers! Mental Health Month may not be until May, but March is busting at the seams with mental health- and brain-related “awareness” events of its own around the globe!

March is:

• Mental Retardation Awareness Month, sponsored by The Arc.
• Professional Social Work Month, sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers.
• National Brain Injury Awareness Month, sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of America.
• National Epilepsy Month, sponsored by Epilepsy Canada.

And within the month of March we have:

• Brain Awareness Week, March 10-16.
• Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 2-8.
• National Sleep Awareness Week, March 3-9.
• Mental Health Action Week, March 23-29.

I use three different sources when it comes to finding information about awareness months and days: Pam Pohly’s Net Guide’s Health Observances and Health Care Recognition Dates; the National Health Information Center’s YEAR 2008 AT A GLANCE; and What Health’s Health Current Events. However, given the number of health-related awareness months, weeks, and days in March alone, I could have very easily missed one or three that are related to mental health and the brain. Know of any? Send ‘em my way and I’ll add ‘em to the list!

The majority of tomorrow’s NAMI meeting is going to be dedicated to a suicide prevention workshop, but here at Mental Health Notes all of you and I are going to take some time out here and there to recognize these awareness dates.

In the meantime, do you have any special activities planned to show awareness? Your family, church, school, club, or organization?

Image source.
Sheba Kitty Productions.