Every year since 1949, May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. While progress has been made in recent years, there’s still much work to be done to eliminate the stigma around mental health and expand treatment services for patients and physicians.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness each year, and 1 in 20 adults experience serious mental illness. A 2022 report published by Indiana Family & Social Services Administration showed that the Hoosier State is on par or worse than the rest of the country in several mental-health-related categories.
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, ISMA has written multiple articles and compiled resources for our members.
If you need assistance, please call 1-800-257-4762 or 317-261-2060 and ask for the ISMA Physician Assistance Program staff.
Acclaimed Harvard psychiatrist headlining ISMA Physician Wellness Symposium
ISMA is thrilled to announce that accomplished psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Robert J. Waldinger, MD, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, will headline ISMA's inaugural Physician Wellness Symposium during the 175th Annual Convention this fall.
A key to physician mental health: Excellence in the care of patients
By Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD
IU School of Medicine
It has been a decade and a half since my friend’s untimely death. A physician whose practice centered on the care of the very sick and dying, he had been fighting mental illness throughout much of his adult life. His travails finally ended in defeat, leaving in their wake countless grateful patients, admiring colleagues, and his own loving parents and children. Many eulogists praised his exceptional warmth and wisdom, yet like many colleagues, he also felt increasingly frustrated by what was happening in medicine.
ISMA Physician Assistance Program is here to help
Help is just a phone call away. The ISMA Physician Assistance Program is here to assist physicians experiencing difficulties in their personal or professional lives.
CHAMP, Be Happy programs bridging gaps in mental health care
Two free consultation programs in the Hoosier State, one focused on adults and the other for youth, are closing gaps in mental health care. Read this article from 2023 to learn more.
Additional resources
NAMI Indiana Resources >>
Be Well Indiana >>
AMA: Behavioral Health Integration Into Primary Care >>
Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction >>
FSSA Mental Health Services >>
988 Indiana >>
Indiana Behavioral Health Commission >>