May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and while many people hear or read references to it, who does it apply to? It can be easy to dismiss for those who may not have, or acknowledge that they have, a mental health condition. However, in the general U.S. population, 52.9 million people, or 21 percent, have a diagnosed mental health condition. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, half of all individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) also have co-occurring “mild to moderate” mental illness—which amounts to over 17 million U.S. adults. Additionally, 5.7 million individuals have “serious mental illness” and a co-occurring SUD.
This month is relevant for everyone because mental health is just as important as physical health but is more often overlooked. What is unique........