According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, at least 90 percent of people who died by suicide were suffering from a mental illness at the time, most often from depression.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a national organization devoted to raising awareness and advocates for those living with a mental illness.
On Saturday, the organization’s Delaware chapter will be the recipient of a day-long fundraiser in Smyrna.
Jason Burlew is one of the organizers of The Happiness Project Music Festival.
“The more we can spread awareness about it and the more we can connect people who need help or need just somebody to talk to about what they’re going through, the better it will be for everyone," he says.
Burlew adds that communication is key and believes the stigma surrounding mental illness is lessening thanks in part to resources found on the internet and social media.
“It's also a way for people to maybe make an inquiry without having to fully put themselves out there and kind of dip their toes in the water a little bit and say, ‘I’m kind of feeling this; is that okay, do you know of somebody who can help me?’ That way they can get the help that they need but they're not having to do it by putting themselves out there for everyone to see right away.”
TheHappiness Project Music Festival takes place in Smyrna- Saturday, from 11 am to 9pm. 20 regional music acts will perform and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit NAMI’s Delaware chapter.
This piece is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.