Mental health conditions do not discriminate based on race, color, gender or identity. Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background. However, culture, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult. America’s entire mental health system needs improvement, including when it...
By Laura Greenstein | Jun. 15, 2018 Many people have a difficult time understanding why the words we use are so important, especially on a topic like suicide. How can certain images or words influence a person’s willingness to take their own life? How can one suicide lead to another? How can conversations,...
By Laura Greenstein | Feb. 28, 2018 Self-harm is difficult to understand because it goes against the natural human instinct of self-preservation. Maybe that’s why some people react to it in a negative, judgmental way. They can’t imagine ever being in a state of mind where they would hurt themselves, so they...
By Colleen Werner | Feb. 26, 2018 For over a decade, I’ve struggled with food and body image. At 8, I started worrying about how my body looked. At 10, I discovered Weight Watchers and my seemingly endless cycle of dieting started. Then, at 15, my eating disorder started. As a dancer,...
By Laura Greenstein | Feb. 22, 2018 There are so many aspects a job that can cause anxiety: having tight deadlines, trying to harmonize a work/life balance, dealing with office gossip and politics, meeting your supervisor’s expectations… the list goes on. Thanks to all this, most people who work will experience some...
By Phyllis Rittner | Feb. 21, 2018 As a mental health advocate, I’ve listened to many brave souls share their stories about living with mental illness. I’ve also chatted with concerned parents who are seeking help for their recently diagnosed child. But what do you do if you have a mental illness,...
By Steven Swink, M.A. | Feb. 16, 2018 In 1985, psychologist James W. Pennebaker theorized that the effort it takes to hold back our thoughts and feelings serves as a stressor on our bodies. By confronting these thoughts and acknowledging our emotions, we can reduce the stress and negative impact on our...
By Jordan Lally | Feb. 12, 2018 Five years ago, my father fell into a deep bout of depression. Twelve months later his depression culminated in suicide. I’m careful not to say he “committed” suicide, because it was clear to me, having spent his final year on this earth close by his side, that...
On the first Saturday of every month since April 2016, the basement at Providence United Methodist Church (PUMC) in Charlotte, North Carolina transforms into a drop-in center called Providence Place. If you drop in one of these mornings, you might meet a student who just came from an art class,...
Most people will experience depression, or extreme sadness, at some point in their life. It’s the pain you feel when you lose a loved one. It’s the emptiness that lingers while going through a difficult breakup. It’s the lack of fulfillment during a period of unemployment. Depression is a natural...