June’s psychology awareness days
31st May 2019
By Nathan Harper.
National growing for wellbeing week – 3rd-7th June
It is said that growing your own produce {fruit/veg} can improve your physical and mental wellbeing. There are health benefits to gardening e.g. improved mental health, improved physical health, confidence, communication, concentration, self-belief. You can develop new skills when gardening and work with other people. Garden centres and brands will be running events and workshops, and there’ll be discounts available.
Tourette’s syndrome awareness day – 7th June
This aims to raise awareness about the syndrome and bring people who have the condition together. Tourette’s is a neurological condition that is most recognisable by tics and involuntary sounds and movements. It is more common in boys and affects over 300,000 people. Last year, the week was marked by people doing their own challenge, this is mostly activity based. They pay an entrance fee and after the challenge they receive a medal and certificate with all monies raised going to Tourette’s Awareness charities. There will also a large social media campaign taking place on the day, where campaign supporters will be asked to change their profile picture to the awareness week’s ribbon with a picture of themselves with one eye closed accompanying it.
Transverse Myelitis awareness day – 9th June
Transverse Myelitis is the inflammation of a section of the spinal cord and this can cause severe pain, sensory problems and sensation changes. It particularly affects the nerve fibres in the spine and can destroy the myelin substance part, which wraps around and protects the spinal cord. The condition has no known cure but the day is all about raising awareness and helping those who suffer from the condition. The condition is rare and is often misdiagnosed. Sufferers can feel isolated and lonely.
Cupcake day for Alzheimer’s and Dementia day – 13th June
This is your chance to unite with people in the fight against dementia whilst having fun. It’s easy to make cupcakes, there are a million ways to make one. The day aims to raise funds and awareness for the fight against Dementia with the help of cupcakes. 850,000 people in the UK have dementia and by 2025 this is set to rise to over 1 million. The cupcake day is a brilliant way to support the work of the Alzheimer’s Society. Recent events to mark the occasion include the building of a six-foot Big Ben replica and a building of a structure of cupcakes totalling 240.
Global Motor Neurone disease awareness day – 21st June
This is a special day for recognition of MND around the world. It marks the start of a season of hope. The International ALS Alliance encourages all ALS/MND Associations around the world to undertake a range of activities to express their hope that this day will be another turning point in the search for cause, treatment and cure of ALS/MND. Motor Neurone Disease is a condition that affects the brain and nerves, it causes weakness in these areas that worsen over time. It’s a fatal condition and can significantly shorten life expectancy, but some people live with it for many years, and there is no cure.
National post-traumatic stress disorder awareness day – 27th June
June is PTSD awareness month. But June 27th is a day to recognise the profound effects post-traumatic stress has on the lives of those affected. The statistics are staggering. The people who most commonly suffer from the condition are army veterans, people who have experienced violent crime or experienced catastrophic events. The day originates from the US, when an army member wanted to designate a day of awareness in memory of a colleague who suffered from PTSD but later committed suicide. His birthday was chosen as the date to mark the event. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that can develop after a car accident, a shooting or combat incident, a natural disaster or a sexual assault. Sufferers will have painful memories, they may feel nervous or have trouble sleeping. People normally get better and make a full recovery but there are some cases where people struggle for months or years. It’s unknown how PTSD develops in some people, why it doesn’t in others and why it does at different lengths of times after the event. PTSD is not a sign of weakness in someone and is not a reflection of the person. Organisations work with employees, consumers, and patients to get information about symptoms and treatments, then they spread the information in the aim of informing people about the disease and helping more people who suffer from PTSD get treatment.