Discrimination and Racism in the History of Mental Health Care

July 06, 2020 By Kylie M. Smith, Ph.D. People with mental illness have always been discriminated against. They have been denied full participation in society and labeled as dangerous and criminal. Many have been locked in institutions…

The Mental Health Care Gap

July 01, 2020 By Imani Faber I was raised in a family that was always painfully aware of the disparities between people of color and whites. It made me expect that most people of color will have a harder fight for justice in all areas.…

Recovering from an Eating Disorder as a Trans Person

June 29, 2020 By Debbie Seacrest, Ph.D. I grew up never quite fitting into this binary world. When we separated into boys and girls, I knew where I was supposed to belong, but it didn’t ever feel right. When my sister told me she thought…

Q&A with NIMH Director Dr. Josh Gordon

June 26, 2020 Q. What are the advances — and future areas of research — that most excite you? A. It’s an exciting time for mental health research — the last five years, especially, have resulted in findings that are transforming…

What Does It Mean to Be a Mental Health Advocate?

June 24, 2020 By Kristen Fuller, M.D. Mental health encompasses our emotional health, cognitive health and relationships. It includes taking care of and protecting ourselves so we can succeed in everyday life, taking care of others when…

How NAMI Storytelling Builds the CIT Movement

June 22, 2020 By Sam Cochran Everyone remembers their first NAMI story. As a storyteller, I have spent many years both sharing and collecting NAMI stories as I traveled around the country promoting the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)…

Youth Speak Out on Their Tech Use During COVID-19

June 19, 2020 By Anna Jolliff On Wednesday, April 22, five weeks after nationwide school closures and stay-at-home orders began, I found myself sitting in a virtual meeting with seven youth. These were high-school-aged teens who,…

The Music of the Mental Health Movement

June 17, 2020 By Jessica Walthall Last year, I found myself on the verge of tears during a concert. There I stood, in a sea of people, most of whom were a few years younger than me, all singing: “Now the night is coming to an end The…

From Isolation to Community and Change

June 15, 2020 By Ken Duckworth, M.D. Forty years ago, I felt like the loneliest man on the planet. Nauseous and upset from seeing my dad, once again, an inpatient at the Northville State hospital near Detroit, I sat in my car in tears.…

Managing Anxiety: Becoming Aware of What I Can Control

June 12, 2020 By Alissa Wauford After years of suffering from frequent and sometimes paralyzing panic attacks and anxiety, I had come to a point where I finally felt (mostly) at peace. That is, until life changed abruptly with the coronavirus…