Tabla de contenidos para The 2024 Mental Health Edition en The Goodnewspaper

EDITOR'S NOTE: This issue includes stories about difficult topics such as suicide, trauma, and mental illness. We believe these stories will help you feel hopeful about these topics, but if reading this issue might be difficult for you — please take care of yourself. To read a different issue of the Goodnewspaper, log into your account at goodgoodgood.co and revisit some of our past issues centered around other topics. You can also find a list of mental health resources, call centers, and more at ggg.news/articles/mental-health-resources. Please do not hesitate to seek help. Your story matters. Hope is real. And good news is ahead. Starting 2025 with the Mental Health Edition of the Goodnewspaper is a pretty daunting way to ring in the new year. You're telling me… my job is…

Social-emotional learning, including meditation, yoga, and mindfulness breaks are becoming more commonplace in schools across the country. Reports have found these initiatives are even more beneficial among communities that have fewer resources than others, including those with more students of color. This is especially evidenced in Atlanta, where GreenLight Fund Atlanta helps Georgia school systems pay for mindfulness programs. They are created by Inner Explorer, an audio platform that guides students and teachers through five-to-10-minute sessions of breathing, meditation, and reflection. It's used by Atlanta Public Schools and over 100 districts in the U.S. The goal is to make some form of mental health care accessible to students of color, as Black youth have the fastest-growing suicide rate among racial groups according to the Centers for Disease Control. Between 2007…

Hoarding disorder is a mental illness that affects about 8 million Americans, according to the American Psychological Association, and especially impacts older adults, including 6% of the population above the age of 70. The condition includes an ongoing difficulty parting with possessions because people have found an emotional connection to them, regardless of their actual value. In severe cases, hoarding can make one's home nearly uninhabitable and can lead to social isolation, physical safety risks like fire and trip hazards, and homelessness. One of the biggest hurdles in overcoming this condition is the immense amount of stigma still attached to it. Matt Williams, founder of the nonprofit Fight the Blight, knows that shame isn't the answer. FTB offers a Hoarding Disorder Support Program, in which individuals and families can access…

Over the years, conditions like anxiety and depression have (fortunately) become much easier to talk about, as many (unfortunately) face the realities of living with them. But mental health is not a monolith, and people of various marginalized identities continue to face stigma, lack of access to care, and their own unique struggles that overlap with the experiences of social injustice. To get a full, holistic picture of mental health, we must seek out stories and resources that lean into all of the nuances and identities people live within: Age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, disability — you name it. Not only does this approach make us more empathetic humans, it helps us better understand what kind of treatment, care, and healing modalities are available in the world. The following resources…

Lee Tepper is an Ohio-based licensed therapist who practices gender and sexuality-affirming counseling — and shares plenty of free insights on TikTok, helping viewers navigate political stress, the unique challenges of LGBTQ+ marginalization, and more. @enby_therapist Kobe Campbell is a licensed trauma therapist who explores topics like boundaries, developmental trauma, burnout, and more on her online platforms. She is also the author of the book “Why Am I Like This?: How to Break Cycles, Heal From Trauma, and Restore Your Faith.” @kobecampbell_ Ani Djirdjirian is a life coach with a master's degree in social work — and she wants you to scream. The singer-songwriter works as a somatic and vocal release practitioner, helping clients carve a healthy space to release their rage (and all kinds of other feelings). @ani_d_music…

In many cultures around the world, grief is a public spectacle. In Mexico, Día de los Muertos combines remembrance with community celebration. In Japan, families attend carnivals and dance to taiko drums for Obon Festival to honor those who have passed. In America, however, death is often something to be shouldered in private. “There is the stigma of grief—the idea, now rampant in American life, of closure,” Cody Delistraty observed in The New Yorker this past year. “Most people are loath to linger in loss.” “Most” maybe, but thankfully, not all. Letting grief linger is an experience that even beloved actor Andrew Garfield bears proudly. In 2021, Garfield appeared on late night television, telling jokes and promoting the film “Tick, Tick… Boom!” — when host Stephen Colbert asked about his…

Breaking down mental health goals into actionable steps — and incentivizing yourself along the way — can make it easier to build a mental health routine in the long run. Try each of the tasks below and see if you can maintain it for seven days in a row. If you unlock all of these “achievements,” your emotional, psychological, and social well-being will thank you. CONFIDENCE BOOSTER During your morning routine, take 30-60 seconds to look in the mirror and compliment yourself. It can be external (“I really love my freckles”) or internal (“I like how I stayed late to help my coworker yesterday”), but go easy on yourself. NATURE EXPLORER Go for a walk in your neighborhood or local park. Put your phone on silent and pay attention to…

GOOD Listen to “On Our Minds,” a podcast by PBS News Student Reporting Labs. Here, student reporters share about the teen mental health experience so young people can find more support from adults and each other. BETTER Donate to Active Minds, a leading nonprofit that funds K-12 mental health initiatives, builds a workforce of school psychologists, and advocates for policy that supports youth mental health. activeminds.org BEST Help implement social-emotional learning curriculum in your local public school system. It's shown to empower young people and contribute to safe communities. Visit casel.org to learn more and advocate.…

GO OUTSIDE Get fresh air. Simply walking outside and getting more oxygen to your brain can raise serotonin levels and reduce cortisol levels. The app MapMyWalk helps you star favorite walking routes to make this even easier. TRY YOGA Simple stretches can relieve chronic neck and joint pain, lower stress hormones, and decrease your anxiety. Plus, it just feels good. Visit yogawithadriene.com to find over 500 free lessons to get started. GO PLAY Team sports are linked to positive mental health, not just because physical exertion triggers endorphins, but because it creates a sense of community. To find local sports leagues, try meetup.com.…

At 31, stand-up comedian Taylor Tomlinson has been telling jokes on stage for almost half her life and has three comedy specials under her belt. Tomlinson's style leans observational and anecdotal, poking fun at everything from organized religion and dating apps to the out-of-body experience of getting new bangs. But in recent years, she's peeled back the curtain on her personal life even more by opening up about her experience with bipolar II disorder. “I got such amazing feedback from people who had been struggling with their mental health,” Tomlinson told NPR, “how it made them feel seen and less alone and made them feel better about their own journey.” At first, Tomlinson wasn't sure how to broach the subject with her audience. She told NPR that her therapist even…

For the past three years, Montana has had the country's highest suicide rate, with 67% of those deaths involving firearms, per a New York Times analysis in 2022. So, Ali Mullen, who works at Helena, Montana's county health department, has been giving away gun locks — a small metal contraption that fits around a trigger — to anyone who wants one. While a gun lock does not remove the impulse to inflict harm on oneself, reducing access to a gun improves a person's chances of surviving those impulses. And in Montana, where gun ownership is embedded into a rugged, outdoorsy culture, gun locks save lives without imposing new legislation that might scare people away from a conversation on gun safety. That said, the Montana legislature also recently passed a piece…

“Decolonizing Mental Health” documents and aims to dismantle the racism that underscores the mental healthcare industry. Zooming in on the work of therapists and individuals of color, it asks viewers to redefine the ways in which we define psychiatric illness and health. (PBS) “Feel It All,” a documentary by pro skier Drew Peterson, follows his journey from the depths of suicidal depression, to finding purpose in his athletic career. The immersive story arc also takes viewers into mental health within rural mountain towns in order to break down stigma and save lives. (YouTube) “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness” is a two-part documentary that features first-person accounts from more than 20 young people who live with mental health conditions, as well as the people who love them. It's a…

Here are some pieces of advice Meredith Wilson Parfet offered Goodnewspaper readers when it comes to comforting loved ones who are grieving. STEP 1: Show up for them. “Don't just show up the day-of with a casserole, but show up six weeks later when things get quiet, six months later when people's lives are moving on,” Parfet noted. “We like to think that grief goes in this tidy one-year package… But everyone I know who's faced catastrophic grief — for many of us — it's the rest of our lives of grief, and it's certainly much longer than just the first year.” Step 2: Keep reaching out. Keep a lifeline open, even if it's just in the form of a text message. But Parfet advised staying away from questions like…

Psychosis is a symptom shared between a number of mental health diagnoses, including schizophrenia, stroke, bipolar disorder, and depression. Psychosis causes people to experience hallucinations and hear voices — and often times, those imagined voices are highly abusive. But burgeoning technology from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London is helping patients confront those voices in a digital landscape. Built on more than a decade of research, the technology is a three-way conversation between the patient, their therapist, and a digital avatar on screen. After the patient provides a likeness and voice description to the trial, an avatar is rendered and the therapist takes on a dual role, speaking as themselves and voicing the avatar through voice conversion software. Then, the patient is able to talk…

GOOD Read “It's Lonely At the Center of the Earth” by Zoe Thorogood to see firsthand how the author used the transformative power of art to find catharsis and relief from her clinical depression. BETTER Donate to A Window Between Worlds, a nationwide nonprofit that helps victims of violence, trauma, and mental illness heal through community programs and art workshops. awbw.org/donate BEST Try some art therapy exercises of your own! Licensed psychotherapist, art therapist, and author Amelia Hutchison guides viewers through free, hands-on ideas on TikTok at @art_therapy_irl.…

GOOD Know the warning signs to spot when someone you know or love may be experiencing suicidal ideation. suicideispreventable.org has a helpful interactive “Know The Signs” tool to get you started. BETTER Donate to an organization working to prevent suicide. Groups like The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org) or To Write Love On Her Arms (twloha.org) can always use your financial support. BEST Be prepared to support someone who is struggling. The Be There Certificate is an online course created by Jack.org and the Born This Way Foundation that will help you do just that. betherecertificate.org…

“The Journal of Radical Permission” by adrienne maree brown and Sonya Renee Taylor is an intimate journal that takes writers on a 12-week learning and healing journey that will help you claim your purpose through their philosophies of radical self-love, emergent strategy, and pleasure activism. “Reclaim Yourself: The Homecoming Workbook” by Thema Bryant, Ph.D helps writers process ordinary and traumatic stress and break out of harmful patterns. Prepare for journal prompts, grounding exercises, meditation, and embodied healing through dance and movement. “What's Your Story? A Journal for Everyday Evolution” is a guided workbook by Rebecca Walker and Lily Diamond that encourages writers to dig into the narratives that shape their lives, focusing on themes like creativity, self-care, activism, spirituality, grief, and healing.…

In Gaithersburg, Maryland this fall, art curator Sandra Davis set 14 chairs on display in the Arts Barn's professional art gallery. Each chair, handmade by a different artist, evoked a mental health issue that the artist had grappled with. Courtney Mohring's chair, “Buttoned Up,” was a black, high-backed chair coated in buttons and bunched fabric that communicated discomfort. Molly McCracken's bright, tentacled “Panic” chair looked akin to the character “Anxiety” in Pixar's “Inside Out 2” — an uncanny coincidence, given that the piece was designed prior to the film's release. And Davis herself had a piece in the exhibit — a plush, rainbow concoction titled “Color Me Manic.” “My spouse has dealt with some mental health issues throughout the 42 years we've been married,” Davis told WTOP News. “And I…