World Arthritis Day 2018 and National Mental Illness Awareness Week
Weekly / October 5, 2018 / 67(39);1081
World Arthritis Day* is October 12, 2018, and National Mental Illness Awareness Week† is October 7–13, 2018. World Arthritis Day encourages organizations and individuals to work toward increasing awareness about arthritis and other rheumatic conditions worldwide. National Mental Illness Awareness Week seeks to educate the public, combat stigma, and provide support to those affected by mental illness.
A report in this issue found that adults with arthritis had higher prevalences of symptoms of anxiety (22.5%) and depression (12.1%) compared with adults without arthritis (1). Community-delivered self-management educational programs, such as the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program,§ can increase self-efficacy (confidence) and physical activity (e.g., walking), improve self-rated health, and reduce depression, fatigue, and pain (2). CDC works with national and state partners to disseminate these educational programs in communities.
References
- Guglielmo D, Hootman JM, Boring MA, et al. Symptoms of anxiety and depression among adults with arthritis—United States, 2015–2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:1081–7.
- Brady TJ, Murphy L, O’Colmain BJ, et al. A meta-analysis of health status, health behaviors, and healthcare utilization outcomes of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:. CrossRefexternal icon PubMedexternal icon
Suggested citation for this article: World Arthritis Day 2018 and National Mental Illness Awareness Week. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:1081. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6739a1external icon.
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