Mental Health Awareness Month & Women’s Health Week

MAY 2021

by Lyle Williams, LMFT on May 17th
​
Mental Health Awareness Month
The Month of May was designated as Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949 by a non-profit organization called Mental Health America.  Since then, this month has been recognized as a time to NORMALIZE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and SHARE RESOURCES THAT SUPPORT MENTAL WELL-BEING. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (“NIMH”), an estimated 51.5 million people in the U.S. live with a mental illness, which is about 20% of the adult population.  Out of the adult population, 5% experience serious mental illness.  Additionally, 17% of the youth, ages 6 to 17 years old, struggle with mental health issues (NIMH, May 2021, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness). If you didn’t know, now you know.  
If you are interested in engaging in some mental health awareness activities, please check out the #MentalHealth4All event calendar on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website (https://afsp.org/mentalhealth4all?gclid=CjwKCAjwqIiFBhAHEiwANg9szswpobiVCNlcPNFBG_Xv98lOTwG7dCCOySmcK-ulygoxG8_IkjC7GRoCYGcQAvD_BwE#-mentalhealth4all-social-graphics). 

Resources to share
Life is hard at times. It can be difficult to know if we are struggling with “normal” life challenges or a mental health problem. Here are some resources that you can use to discreetly find out if you are dealing with a mental health problem (for free). 

• Mental Health America [https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/]: offers self-assessment screenings for a wide variety of conditions, including addiction, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and more. 
  • Youth Test [https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/youth/?ref] for those under 18 years of age
  • Parent Test [https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/parent/?ref] for parents to use to assess their child
• U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs: You can take the Veterans Affairs (VA) screening for PTSD [https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/ptsd-screening] regardless of whether you served in the military or not.

Remember that results from online assessments are not an official diagnosis or substitutes for a consultation with your healthcare provider. 
In the event that you or someone you know is actually experiencing a mental health concern, I have included a list of resources below for you to reference. Please share this information as you engage with others and do your part to NORMALIZE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH this month. 

• Brightline (https://hellobrightline.com/): Brightline is the first comprehensive behavioral health solution designed to support kids, teens, and parents across a range of common family challenges. 
• ChoicesInRecovery.com (https://www.choicesinrecovery.com/): Support and information for people with Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, and Bipolar Disorder and their caregivers, including Strategies for Success [https://www.choicesinrecovery.com/strategies-for-success.html] that can be used daily by people living with mental health conditions. 
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinic at Rutgers University (DBT-RU) (https://gsapp.rutgers.edu/centers-clinical-services/DBT): DBT-RU is a research and training clinic that provides comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) services to individuals in the community. Be sure to watch their Radical Acceptance video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVwIVwGOnpo]. 
• DRK Beauty (https://thisisdrkbeauty.com/drk-healing/): DRK Beauty is a well-being and mental health digital platform that helps women of color discover and craft their own unique well-being journey. “We blend a powerful mix of community, content, programming, and services that speaks to the psychological, spiritual, and physical needs of our community, ultimately empowering them to blossom, all through a convenient app.”
• Equoo (http://www.equoogame.com/): Equoo is a game that teaches individuals psychological skills in a fun and captivating way to deal with emotional and mental stressors in a healthy and productive fashion. 
• Ford Williams Family Therapy (FWFT) (https://www.fordwilliamsfamilytherapy.com/): FWFT is a psychotherapy practice that offers telemental health  sessions to clients located in New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina. The practice specializes in helping families, couples, and individuals heal from emotionally distressing life circumstances. This practice is a good fit for people seeking a male therapist who is culturally competent and has military experience.
• Happify (https://www.happify.com/): Happify brings you effective tools and programs (via the web and an app) to help you take control of your feelings and thoughts using proven techniques developed by leading scientists and experts who’ve been studying evidence-based interventions in the fields of positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Check out their video, How to Defeat Negative Thinking [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XLY_XXBQWE]. 
• IDONTMIND (https://idontmind.com/): IDONTMIND is a mental health awareness campaign and lifestyle brand working to get people talking about their minds and to generate positive messaging about mental health. Check out their online journal [https://idontmind.com/journal] for articles on all things mental health.
• Lyf (https://lyf.app/): Lyf is a social media app where users share highly personal aspects of themselves without the fear of judgment. Lyf users receive support during some of their most grueling, challenging, confronting or even “embarrassing” stages of their lives from other people who have no preconceptions about their fellow Lyfers. Lyfers have the opportunity to connect with and chat to others on the same life paths or journeys; whether it’s a struggle or celebration, in Lyf, you aren’t alone. 
• Make Sure Your Friends Are Okay (https://makesureyourfriendsareokay.com/): Through merchandise and social media, Make Sure Your Are Okay is building a community of like-minded people who want to help us get the world talking. 
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)  (https://www.nctsn.org/): NCTSN was created to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. Be sure to check out their Pause, Reset, Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing handout [https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/pause_reset_nourish_to_promote_wellbeing_use_as_needed_to_care_for_your_wellness.pdf]. 
• notOK App (https://www.notokapp.com/): The notOK App® is a free app that takes the guesswork out of asking for help when you’re feeling vulnerable. 
• PositivePsychology.com (https://positivepsychology.com/): PositivePsychology.com is a science-based online resource of courses, techniques, tools, and tips to help you put positive psychology into practice. Be sure to check out their radical acceptance worksheets [https://positivepsychology.com/radical-acceptance-worksheets/], including Focus on the Present for Radical Acceptance [https://positivepsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Focus-on-the-Present-for-Radical-Acceptance.pdf]. 
• Postpartum Support International (https://www.postpartum.net/): The mission of Postpartum Support International is to promote awareness, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues related to childbearing in every country worldwide. 
• PsychHub (https://psychhub.com/videos/): PsychHub is the world’s largest online platform for mental health education with revolutionary Learning Hubs to take you from knowledge learned to behavior changed. 
• PsychoSocial (https://psychosocial.media/): PsychoSocial is a mental health multimedia business created by mental health professionals in a joint effort to raise mental health awareness and destigmatize mental illness. Check out their handout on Positive Affirmations [https://psychosocial.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Paragon-One-Plaza-and-Sky-Garden-3.pdf]. 
• Supportiv (https://www.supportiv.com/): Supportiv is a digital peer-to-peer support network that enables people to process, cope with, heal from, and problem solve mental health (anxiety, depression) + daily life struggles (loneliness, family pressure, parenting challenges, relationship conflicts, work stress) in safe, professionally moderated micro-community chats. 
• This is My Brave (https://thisismybrave.org/): This is My Brave is an organization that works to bring stories of mental illness and addiction out of the shadows and into the spotlight. 
• This Way Up (https://thiswayup.org.au/covid-19/): This Way Up provides online courses that teach practical, psychological skills designed to help you manage difficult emotions, tackle unhelpful thoughts, and gain control over symptoms of anxiety and depression. Be sure to check out their handout, Calming Your Emotions During the COVID-19 Pandemic [https://thiswayup.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/THIS-WAY-UP_Calming-Your-Emotions.pdf]. 
• YogaPose (https://yogapose.com/): YogaPose is the largest free digital library of yoga poses searchable by symptom. As a form of holistic healing, we are utilizing yoga as a form of alternative medicine to help or ease the symptoms of both mental and physical illnesses. Users are able to search the Yoga Pose database of comprehensive yoga poses based on the ailment they are experiencing. Each yoga pose profile features an easy-to- follow Yoga Pose video, medical information, and related flows. 
• Youper (https://www.youper.ai/): Youper uses Artificial Intelligence to deliver evidence-based therapy techniques to support people’s mental health anytime and anywhere.

Women’s Health Week
Last week was Women’s Health Week.  Ladies, please check out the Office of Women’s Health page to review some good reminders about ways to maintain your health (https://www.womenshealth.gov/nwhw/about). This year’s Women’s Health Week, for obvious reasons, has an emphasis on protecting yourself from COVID-19. 
Men, here is an article that provides information to you about common women’s health issues (https://www.webmd.com/men/features/what-men-need-to-know-about-womens-health). Being aware of women’s health issues is essential for men who are interested in being loving leaders in their relationships with women. 

​****
I know this was a longer than average newsletter, but I wanted to include as many resources as I could, so that you are empowered with knowledge about mental health resources. As a bonus, I have also included a mental health toolkit in the newsletter email as an attachment.  Be sure to check that out too. Stay healthy and be blessed.