MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – May is Mental Health Awareness Month to recognize and spread the word that mental health is something that affect everyone.
The Alabama Department of Mental Health is raising awareness about the connection between mental health and community support. The theme this year for Mental Health Awareness Month is “More Good Days, Together,” highlighting the importance of helping people with mental illness thrive through community connections and person-centered support, while also recognizing that the definition of a “good day” varies from person to person.
“Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder that no one has to struggle alone,” said ADMH Commissioner Kimberly Boswell. “We want every Alabamian to have ‘more good days,’ connect with friends and family, and to remember that help is always within reach through our steadily growing Alabama Crisis System of Care and statewide resources and support.”
Immediate access to crisis care is expanded through the state’s three-pronged Crisis System of Care of 988, Crisis Centers and Mobile Crisis Services. These crisis services save lives and ease the impact on law enforcement and hospitals by giving Alabamians “someone to call, someone to respond and somewhere to go” during a mental health crisis.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline gives individuals “someone to call” when they or a family member or loved one is in crisis. The state’s four call centers — located in Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville and Mobile — field more than 40,000 calls annually averaging some 3,300 calls a month.
The state’s six Crisis Centers — in Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa — are strategically situated throughout the state and offer readily accessible around-the-clock care 365 days a year, giving individuals “somewhere to go” when they are in crisis. Services include assessment, temporary and extended observation, linkage to resources and collaboration with specialty providers for co-occurring disorders. The state’s six Centers performed more than 10,000 evaluations in fiscal year 2025 alone.
Mental Health Awareness Month was officially established in 1949 by the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s partner, Mental Health America, to raise awareness about conditions and the importance of good mental health for everyone.
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