As part of Mental Health Awareness Month and National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day in May, many national organizations join together to raise awareness and build understanding of the significant role mental health plays in overall health and wellness.

May 7th is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and is observed each year to raise awareness about the importance of children's mental health and how vital positive mental health is to a child's development. You can view past national events , including archived webcasts, such as the 2019 videos Suicide Prevention in Tribal Communities and What are Systems of Care?

On CDC’s Children’s Mental Health page (also available in Spanish), you’ll find:

• A page that helps parents and caregivers understand Childhood Mental Disorders, their symptoms, and how to find treatment
• Facts about mental disorders in children
• A video entitled “Children’s Mental Health Disorders – A Journey for Parents and Children”
• A Behavioral Health Service Provider locator, by state and county

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also offers a number of public health messages that provide information and videos to support organizations' efforts to educate the public about the impact that mental illness has on communities. Topics include:

• Living Well with Serious Mental Illness
• Resources for Families Coping with Mental and Substance Use Disorders which offers videos and downloadable publication handouts, including a guide to getting help and another offering advice on how to start a conversation with someone suffering from a mental or substance use disorder
• Help Prevent Suicide with links to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and resources specific to populations at greater risk such as American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Young Adults and several more! 

While diagnosing and treating mental health disorders is outside of WIC's scope, it’s important for WIC staff to know how and be able to help connect children and families with appropriate resources and referrals for mental health issues.  As noted in the WIC Guidance for Screening and Referring Women With or at Risk for Depression, establishing partnerships with mental health providers is among the necessary components of a WIC agency process to enhance WIC screening and referrals for maternal depression. Though this guidance is geared towards maternal depression, establishing such partnerships with mental health providers is just as important for children.

Additional resources on this topic include:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• MentalHealth.gov
• Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline available 24/7

To find all resources the WIC Works Resource System has to offer on this topic, type "mental health" and "depression" in the search box located in the navigation bar.