Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in May since 1949. On April 30, 2015, President Obama issued a presidential proclamation for this year's Mental Health Awareness Month highlighting the fact that "this year approximately one in five American adults -- our friends, colleagues, and loved ones -- will experience a diagnosable mental health condition like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or post-traumatic stress, and many others will be troubled by significant emotional and psychological distress, especially in times of difficulty." This "one in five" statistic does not capture other important mental health statistics on young adults, particularly those on college campuses.

• One in four young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 have a diagnosable mental illness. More than 25 percent of college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental health condition within the past year.
• More than 11 percent of college students have been diagnosed or treated for anxiety in the past year and more than 10 percent reported being diagnosed or treated for depression.
• More than 80 percent of college students felt overwhelmed by all they had to do in the past year and 45 percent have felt things were hopeless.
• Almost 73 percent of students living with a mental health condition experienced a mental health crisis on campus. Yet, 34.2 percent reported that their college did not know about their crisis.*

The impact mental illness can have on a college student's academic life can be critical to their educational path.

• In an American College Health Association report released in 2011, students cited depression and anxiety as among the top impediments to academic performance.
• 64 percent of young adults who are no longer in college are not attending college because of a mental health related reason. Depression, bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder are the primary diagnoses of these young adults.
• 31 percent of college students have felt so depressed in the past year that it was difficult to function and more than 50 percent have felt overwhelming anxiety, making it hard to succeed academically.*

Stigma continues to be a very real barrier to adults and college students seeking the help they need. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) launched the StigmaFree Pledge, an effort aimed at individuals, companies, organizations and others "to learn more about mental illness, to see a person for who they are and take action on mental health issues." NAMI also conducted a survey of 765 college students in 2011 and published a report on the results in 2012 entitled, "College Students Speak: A Survey Report on Mental Health (PDF)." 

Mental Health America, one of the other leaders of Mental Health Awareness Month, is using the theme B4Stage4, which addresses "how people can address their mental health early, rather than at 'Stage 4' - when symptoms are more severe, and recovery a longer process." Mental Health America's B4Stage4 theme is a month-long campaign with a toolkit that is available for download via their May webpage.