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Guidance on how to promote our overall health and well-being is everywhere. We talk openly about the importance of a good night’s sleep and regular exercise. Support for these and other healthy behaviors is increasing every day.

We get help when we have a bad case of the flu or a more serious illness. We call our doctor and take time off work if necessary. When our child is sick, he or she is excused from school. And if we are diagnosed with a health condition that needs treatment, our colleagues, friends and family openly share their sympathies, and provide emotional and day-to-day support.

Yes, when we’re not feeling well, those around us are quick to lend a hand, and most of us will seek the support we need to recover.

So why is the story so different when it comes to our mental health? Why are we keeping it all inside?

Research has shown that our reluctance to talk openly about mental health is so strong that it prevents us from seeking the information and support we need to promote good mental health, let alone asking for help when we need it. And that is very costly to us as a society and as individuals.

There are many things we can do to promote good mental health in ourselves and our children. And effective treatments are available so people with mental health challenges lead full, balanced and happy lives. Yet, there are misconceptions associated with the topic of mental health—and with mental illnesses, in particular—that keeps people from talking about and seeking support for mental health issues. The U.S. surgeon general notes that, “When people understand that mental disorders are not the result of moral failings or limited will power, but are legitimate illnesses that are responsive to specific treatments, much of the negative stereotyping may dissipate. Still, fresh approaches to … counter stigma need to be developed and evaluated.” That’s where our campaign comes in.

Mental health impacts everyone in Illinois. It’s a key component of our overall health and well-being, connecting to all other aspects of our physical, emotional and spiritual health.

All of us are affected when a colleague, loved one, neighbor or friend lives with a mental health challenge. Nationally, over 20 percent of the population lives with a mental health problem. Data obtained from U.S. Census and the U.S. Center for Mental Health Services suggest that, at any one time, more than 700,000 Illinois adults are coping with a diagnosable mental illness.

And while 70-90 percent of mental health diagnoses are treatable, data shows that fewer than half of the people who experience these mental health challenges actually seek treatment.

To increase awareness of mental health as a vital component of our overall health and well-being, and motivate sustainable change in behaviors that promote good mental health the State of Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership, supported by a network of more than 30 organizations, are launching a three-year awareness, engagement and education campaign on May 1. The date coincides with the start of Mental Health Awareness Month, which is being observed in Illinois in 2008 as Say it out loud Month.

The Say it out loud campaign is based on current research indicating that the best way to reduce the discrimination associated with mental illnesses is by interaction through which people can engage with one another on this subject in a truly meaningful way and share their experiences and knowledge.

Say it out loud reframes mental health as a key component of our overall health and well-being by raising the subject in a nonthreatening way that is both empowering and informative. It creates both “virtual” and real contact opportunities—with people who have mental illnesses, as well as medical and mental health professionals, family, employers, colleagues, neighbors or friends. It transmits reliable and valued information through the media, the Internet, advertising, word-of-mouth, and through the “stories” that are the essence of the campaign.

Visually, the campaign is represented by photographs of people wearing t-shirts emblazoned with their stories of mental health promotion or recovery. Other people in the photographs are wearing Say it out loud T-shirts that will be available to the public. These images will be used to share stories about mental health on posters, in advertisements and in other printed materials.