Awareness Archives - Page 8 of 9 - Healthy Minds Philly®

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Demystifying the Myth

Growing up in Nigeria, a sub- Sahara Africa country, I grew up with different myths and ideas of what a disability is and how people with disabilities should be treated. I knew they should not be isolated, segregated and not allowed to participate in normal life events. Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, live a traumatic life because Nigerian society does not believe in intellectual disabilities that do not manifest physically, such a person who lives with Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. Parents face stigma on an everyday basis if [...]

Janine Monico2023-04-04T15:23:57-04:00August 27th, 2018|Autism, Awareness, Intellectual disAbility|

A Face of Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Awareness Month happens in October, but every day of the year several thousands of people are experiencing harm in their relationships. Normally when people hear of domestic violence stories they think of a woman, scarred and bruised from being battered by a man. The image of a woman’s swollen face with a black eye and bloody lip is probably the first visual that forms in most minds when they imagine someone who has experienced domestic violence.

Janine Monico2021-07-31T13:04:46-04:00August 8th, 2017|Awareness, Domestic Violence, Lived Experience, Self-Help|

Removing the Mask of Depression

I’ve always known that I was different. Born in Sierra Leone, West Africa, as an immigrant African woman, I have struggled with major depression all of my life. It’s a topic in my community, as in other communities of color, which is often swept under the rug. My depression was caused by numerous issues. After struggling with this issue since my early years, I decided that sharing my experience with depression is a way of empowering other women and girls to do the same, while removing the stigma surrounding depression and other mental health disorders in diverse racial and ethnic communities.

Janine Monico2021-07-31T13:05:05-04:00May 26th, 2017|Addiction & Recovery, Awareness, Lived Experience|

National Depression Screening Day, Five Years Later

What if you had the chance to help someone feel less alone in the world? What if you could help reframe how the world responds to someone’s silent pain?

Janine Monico2021-01-04T21:27:51-05:00September 22nd, 2016|Awareness|