June 6th, 2017 In 2008, legislation was passed to establish the month of July as “Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month” in recognition of the late Ms. Campbell’s advocacy efforts to promote public awareness of mental illness among minorities and to improve minorities’ access to mental health treatment and services. Almost two-thirds of people with a mental illness in America do not or cannot seek help. The cultural norms...
The Biopsychosocial Model of Health offers a lens through which mental health practitioners may assess the needs of their clients. This concept suggests that an individual’s mental health consists of biological, social, and psychological factors (Kidsmatter). To achieve positive mental health, all three facets must be in balance. Good social skills, positive relationships with family, friends, and peers, and strong coping mechanisms are all key to maintaining this balance. These...
On the heels of Father’s Day, it is worth thinking about fatherhood and mental health. Becoming a parent can be a scary prospect for a man. While it is commonly acknowledged that women may experience postpartum depression, research states that 10% of new dad’s also experience postpartum depression and 25% of men experience depression within the first year of having a child (Postpartum, 2017; Schaeffer). Believe it or not, in...
Just yesterday, violent images and reports of shooting were once again inundating our lives with the shooting of congressional leaders, aides and police in Alexandria, Va. It was only a few weeks ago, on May 22nd, 2017, that the Manchester attacks occurred at the Ariana Grande concert which killed and injured innocent children and their parents. It’s tough to watch the toxicity of the world tarnish the innocence of our...