Labyrinth Psychiatry Group · Published · Clinical review by Dr. Salvatore G. Savatta pending
What the week is
Mental Illness Awareness Week falls in the first full week of October. Congress established it in 1990 after advocacy by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). In 2026 it runs from Sunday, October 4 through Saturday, October 10. NAMI’s theme this year is “Turning Science Into Hope.” Research into the brain becomes treatment, and people who live with mental illness shape what that research asks.
The week ends on World Mental Health Day, October 10, which the World Health Organization marks every year. For 2026 the WHO theme is about lived experiences being heard.
At Labyrinth Psychiatry Group the week is not a slogan. It is the reason this article exists: a specific date to do one of three things you may have been putting off.
What the numbers say
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 59.3 million U.S. adults, 23.1 percent, lived with a mental illness in 2022. Just over half of them, 50.6 percent, received any mental health treatment that year. Among adults with a serious mental illness, 15.4 million people, about two thirds received treatment.
Depression is the condition this practice sees most. NIMH counts 21.0 million adults, 8.3 percent, who had a major depressive episode in 2021; about 61 percent of them were treated that year. For some, the first antidepressant works. For others, two or more adequate trials do not bring enough relief. That is treatment-resistant depression, the condition our TMS and SPRAVATO programs exist for.
One more number explains why families matter here. In a 2022 analysis of 192 studies covering more than 700,000 people, about one third of mental health conditions had shown their first signs before age 14, about half before age 18, and nearly two thirds before age 25. The person who notices first is usually a parent, a partner, or a friend, not a doctor.
Three things to do before Saturday
1. Have the conversation you have been avoiding
If someone close to you has seemed off for weeks, say what you see and ask how they are. If you are worried they may be thinking about suicide, ask that directly. NIMH’s five action steps for helping someone in emotional pain are: ask, be there, help keep them safe, help them connect, and follow up. Asking does not plant the idea; it opens the door.
2. Make the appointment
An evaluation is a conversation with a psychiatrist about what has been happening, what has been tried, and what fits next. It is not a commitment to any treatment. Our Cranford office is at 11 Commerce Drive, Lobby Floor, and we also see patients by telehealth. Call 908-336-1187, use the appointment request page, or read what an evaluation includes first.
3. Ask the next-step question
If you are already in treatment and it has not been enough, ask your clinician one question this week. What is the next step if this plan does not work? For depression that has not responded to two or more medications, the answers may include TMS therapy, SPRAVATO (esketamine), or a change in medication management. Our TMS vs. SPRAVATO page explains how the two differ.
Who we evaluate and treat
Labyrinth Psychiatry Group is an adult psychiatry practice led by Dr. Salvatore G. Savatta. The practice evaluates and treats depression and anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, and adult ADHD. Psychotherapy and medication management run alongside the TMS and SPRAVATO programs. Insurance questions are answered on the insurance and access page.
Where to call when it is not an appointment
- A crisis, any hour: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. The line answers in English and Spanish and has videophone access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers. In immediate danger, call 911.
- Questions and support, not a crisis: the NAMI HelpLine answers Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern. Call 800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 62640.
- Our office: 908-336-1187 during office hours, for appointments and questions about care at the practice.