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Mental Health America Blog
Mental Health America Blog - Chiming In
By Christine Williams and Wil Crary
Every day at 3:30pm, young men in a neighborhood near downtown Honolulu participate in a culture circle at the Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange (KVIBE), where they learn how to repair bikes. For the young men in Kalihi Valley, KVIBE is a second home that offers play, mentorship, and skill-building. They begin each culture circle by sharing their names, homes, and ancestors. This opening practice...
By Marjorie Morrison, CEO & President of Psych Hub
Through my four years as CEO and founder of PsychArmor, I learned firsthand how to create a movement through online learning. As I looked deeper into issues that veterans face, the more I learned how prevalent those issues are to the entire country’s population.
There are harrowing stats.
By Carole Mendoza, IBM Director of Global Health Benefits and Well-being Strategy, and Board Member, 2020 Mom
Pregnancy and childbirth are often an exciting, happy time in a family’s life, but it is also an incredibly stressful time to the whole family. This becomes even more difficult when mom works.
Caring for a newborn (especially the first born or a child with special needs) is a significant time...
By Amanda Lipp, Founder & CEO of The Giving Gallery
When I was 18 years old, I experienced psychosis during college and went through an experience that I now consider to be the ‘internship of my life’: becoming a patient at a psychiatric hospital. Now, at 27 years old, I have learned how deal with my mental health issues and I am proud to say that this experience led to me building The Giving Gallery...
By Madeline Reinert, MHA Policy and Programs Associate
There are many reasons people drink alcohol, whether it be to relax, have fun, or escape life’s stressors and frustrations. A lot of people indulge in alcohol safely, but it can also be incredibly risky, and if it starts to negatively impact your life, it may be a sign that you are developing an alcohol use problem or dependence. When individuals begin to wonder if their drinking is...
Mental Health America (MHA) knows people are busy, so to help keep up with mental health advocacy tips and policy-related happenings, we created the Back Home Campaign Advocacy Update. We’ll summarize federal health-related goings on and offer a snapshot of our work.
Are you working with elected officials in your state?
- Submit a Mental Health Champion nomination to your RPC Representative for your state leader to receive recognition at a 2019 Regional Policy Council (...
By Kelly Davis, MHA Director of Peer Advocacy, Supports, and Services
Each Sexual Assault Awareness Month I’m overwhelmed with so many people standing up and speaking out about their experiences with sexual violence. I feel the catharsis of hearing and reading people share stories like mine. I feel waves of hope about a future where these things are not only talked about but prevented. I feel connected to other people like me, who felt for so long that things...
By Paul Gionfriddo, MHA President and CEO
Jeremy Richman, a Connecticut neuroscientist and co-founder of the Avielle Foundation, died last week after a long battle with trauma. His death followed the death of Sydney Aiello, who fought an equally courageous 13-month battle with trauma, as well as another current Parkland student just days later.
I knew Jeremy to be a bright and dedicated man. He had worked in...
By Colleen M. Werner
When I first started struggling with food and body image at eight years old, I was convinced it would be a lifelong struggle. My days were spent getting on and off a scale more times than anyone could imagine and counting out my cornflakes before I’d even think of eating them. I felt that I was destined to be bound by my eating disorder forever.
However, at 22 years old, I am fully recovered from anorexia. There is...
By Paul Gionfriddo, MHA President and CEO
Ever since the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was passed in 2008, Mental Health America has worked tirelessly with other advocates to make mental health parity a reality.
Unfortunately, during the last decade, parity has proven elusive. Public officials, insurers, and regulators have struggled to find ways to implement this simple concept: that behavioral health...
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