It's Mental Illness Awareness Week

Established by the U.S. Congress in 1990, Mental Illness Awareness Week takes place during the first week of October each year. Its primary purpose is to raise awareness through education, promote early detection, and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

NAMI Kane County, one of 1,100 affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, participates in this national effort. Since it was founded in 1987 in Elgin, it has offered support and education programs to families facing mental illness, and participated in advocacy efforts to improve and expand mental health services in our community.

NAMI Kane County will kick off the week Saturday, Oct. 4 when it will host its annual "Iris Day" at the Jewel/Osco stores on Larkin Avenue, Elgin, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

NAMI volunteers working in teams of two will offer NAMI's "Iris" bookmarks and brochures describing three major mental illnesses: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depression. Three new brochures designed for families and friends, and other members of the community interested in learning more about serious mental illness, will be offered to the public this year: "You Are Not Alone," "Women and Depression," and"Mental Illness: An Illness Like Any Other."

Donations received on Iris Day will be used to further program goals: to bring about a better understanding of mental illness and reduce the stigmatizing myths that still exist - misunderstandings that not only keep people from seeking treatment but influence state funding of critically-needed mental health services. For more information about NAMI, visit nami.org.