CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – There’s a national campaign taking place this month, to raise awareness about mental health screenings and treatment options.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and health experts want you to take this time to ask yourself, and others “Are you ok?” Mental health experts say people can improve their well-being by breaking the stigma around mental health and talking about it.

“No one is alone with mental health challenges. We all have a brain, and we all have mental health, and mental wellness, and we are working together to improve that for all of us,” says Behavioral Health Network Senior Vice President, Katherine Mague.

According to data, 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness each year, and less than half of them receive treatment. Only 17 percent of youth between ages 6 to 17 years old are also experiencing some kind of mental health related challenge in their life.

Experts at Behavioral Health Network in Western Massachusetts say talking with someone and checking in on your well being can have positive impact, as well as physical activity, connecting with nature, and getting uninterrupted sleep.

“There has been a lot of advancements in developing treatments that are evidence based and proven effective, whether its medication, or talk therapy, or experiential therapy,” Mague says. “People do not have to be afraid to go figure out what that is, and you can feel better pretty quickly with those therapies.”

Mague adds that while the stigma around mental health issues have lessened in the past decade, there is still work to be done to continue support for mental health.