The HWA Supports Mental Health Awareness Month
The Horror Writers Association is pleased to announce a new program to show support to those in the horror community and beyond facing mental health issues or helping friends and family members who are.
You are not alone. No matter how dark or haunted the house may seem a light is always on in the window.
Mental health issues affect people of any age, gender, or ethnicity—and in any profession. Writers are no exception. Spending as much time in isolation while working as writers do, though, it can be easy to feel cut off or alone, especially when struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health diseases. Sometimes a helping hand or voice can make all the difference between facing problems and finding treatment or suffering alone . In recognition of members of the horror community who live with these issues, the HWA’s Mental Health Awareness initiative seeks to spotlight resources, support, and help available for those who need it by providing a downloadable list of links for mental health screening, counseling, and information: https://horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HWA_MentalHealthResources_List.pdf.
We are also hosting a series of posts by Mark Matthews (May 7), Lee Murray and Dave Jeffrey (May 14), Ace-Antonio Hall (May 21), and Edward P. Cardillo (May 28) discussing the intersection of mental health and horror fiction. They will be talking about their personal experiences, depicting mental health in fiction, and how fiction can influence perceptions of mental health disorders.
We encourage any of our members—or anyone at all—facing mental health problems to seek out a screening, treatment, or immediate help. We are providing a Web banners created by Greg Chapman suitable for use as a Facebook banner (below) or profile image or anywhere else online for members who wish to show their support throughout the month of May, Mental Health Awareness month: https://horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/hwa-mental-health-logo-960×960.png.
For any questions, please contact James Chambers (jimchamb@optonline.net) or Lisa Morton (president@horror.org).
