Mental Health
Diseases of the soul are more dangerous and more numerous than those of the body - Cicero
image by: Sasha Wolff
HWN Recommends
Mental Illness in a Test Tube
The lack of objective medical tests in psychiatry is a common criticism of the field. According to some, being a doctor means using physical exams, lab work or imaging to evaluate patients. Indeed, oncologists can find a tumor on a CT scan. Cardiologists can diagnose a heart attack with blood tests or an electrocardiogram.
Despite public misconceptions, psychiatrists do much of the same. We use objective tests all the time to evaluate patients with mental illness. (And I don't mean inkblots.)
Say a middle-aged man visits a doctor's office because he's been experiencing confusion and memory problems. His family says his speech sounds different. The man has become delusional…
Resources
What Simone Biles Was Saying
An iconic Olympian hits pause on the planet’s biggest athletic stage, widening the conversation about mental health in sports
Mental Health Awareness Is On The Rise, But Access To Professionals Remains Dismal
The rise in awareness and tech-based innovation is a bright spot in an otherwise persistently mediocre situation. It hasn’t translated into better access to professionals...
The Coming Mental-Health Crisis
Even before the COVID-19 crisis, America’s infrastructure for mental-health and addiction services was fragmented, overburdened, and underfunded.
Why virtual reality could be a mental health gamechanger
Few tech topics are hotter right now than virtual reality (VR). Though it’s been around for decades, VR has at last entered the world of consumer electronics via devices like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive and, increasingly, headsets that can be used in conjunction with our mobile phones. But VR isn’t just a technological game-changer: it could transform the way we tackle mental health problems.
Lonely, burned out, and depressed: The state of millennials' mental health in 2019
While some millennials can't afford to get help, they're more likely to go to therapy than previous generations, destigmatizing the concept in the process. Here are 11 ways mental illness has plagued the millennial generation.
More mental health care won’t stop the gun epidemic, new study suggests
First, although increasing access to mental health care is necessary for a variety of compelling reasons, our findings suggest that strengthening mental health services won’t reduce firearm violence. Rather, action may be needed at the federal, state and local levels to strengthen laws and regulations shown to promote gun safety and prevent firearm deaths. Other countries, in particular Australia and New Zealand, responded forcefully to mass shooting events when they occurred and adopted regulatory measures to protect their citizens against gun violence.
The Future Of Mental Health Care? Change Is Already Here
There is a lot of discussion about the sad state of the healthcare system if you are trying to get help for a mental health issue. But this isn’t a post about systems, it’s about a divide between people. It’s about how different generations deal with mental health and the deleterious effect our differences are having on young people in particular. Why is there a divide?
Today’s Politics May Be Bad for Your Health
Common problems include sleep disturbances and falling out with family members and friends with divergent views. Social media battles are another source of tension.
As Suicides Rise, Insurers Find Ways to Deny Mental Health Coverage
The U.S. is in the midst of a mental health crisis. In 2017, 47,000 Americans died by suicide and 70,000 from drug overdoses. And 17.3 million adults suffered at least one major depressive episode. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, a landmark law passed more than a decade ago, requires insurers to provide comparable coverage for mental health and medical treatments. Even so, insurers are denying claims, limiting coverage, and finding other ways to avoid complying with the law.
Five Improvements We Should Make to Mental Health Care
If politicians were serious about preventing and treating mental health, they would be tending to our broken mental health care system. What should politicians actually talk about when they talk about mental health? We compiled a list of priorities—and, spoiler alert, bringing back mental institutions did not make the cut.
Stop blaming mental illness for mass shootings
But the convenient cries of “mental health” after mass shootings are worse than hypocritical. They’re factually wrong and stigmatizing to millions of completely nonviolent Americans living with severe mental illness.
Why Art Should Be Incorporated into Mental Health Therapy
It's too simplistic to suggest that the arts can solve the mental health crisis, but there's hope that more funding and more debate around the issues could help improve our wellbeing.
A Blueprint When Feeling Blue: How A Mental Health Diagnosis Can Be Empowering
My teenage reactions to the term “mental illness” were similar to the negative stereotypes that exist in the public sphere. One of the most egregious stereotypes of people who live with mental illness is that they are more likely to be violent than the general population. The truth is that people who have a mental health diagnosis are about 10 times more likely to be the victim of a crime than the perpetrator.
A First-Aid Class for Mental Health
Most people know how to help someone with a cut or a scrape. But what about a panic attack?
A Student's Guide to Looking After Your Mental Health at University
One in four students suffer from mental health problems, according to a new YouGov survey of Britain’s students. Although mental health problems can be caused by a huge range of issues, and vary between individuals, university presents a unique environment which has the potential to be damaging.
Are We Focusing On The Right Silent Killer? Digital Solutions Can Be The Answer To Mental Health
The need for holistic treatment focusing on the person is increasingly becoming of paramount significance, especially when there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that physical and mental health are intrinsically interlinked and that one cannot treat each separately.
Can Your Smartphone Read Your Mind?
New apps promise to diagnose mental health problems. But there are reasons to be cautious.
England’s Mental Health Experiment: No-Cost Talk Therapy
England is in the midst of a unique national experiment, the world’s most ambitious effort to treat depression, anxiety and other common mental illnesses. The rapidly growing initiative, which has gotten little publicity outside the country, offers virtually open-ended talk therapy free of charge at clinics throughout the country: in remote farming villages, industrial suburbs, isolated immigrant communities and high-end enclaves. The goal is to eventually create a system of primary care for mental health not just for England but for all of Britain.
How Mental Health Became the New Feminism
Co-opted by brands and covered to death by every outlet going, has mental health content lost all meaning?
LSD doesn't just treat mental illness, 'it could actually heal the brain'
Mental health for years has been inadequately addressed, partly because the tools we had on offer were hard to scale, and partly because some of the most powerful tools in brain health were stigmatised and turned into scheduled drugs, effectively halting any progress that could be made to prove their efficacy...
Lunacy and the Full Moon
Does a full moon really trigger strange behavior?
Mad Science: The Treatment of Mental Illness Fails to Progress
Recent questions about the validity of diagnostic criteria for mental illness have raised deeper questions about the current state of psychiatry.
Mental Illness: How to Spot Fact from Fiction
Sensationalist coverage and our brains contribute to misunderstandings about mental health.
Prince William Opens Up About Mental Health And Losing His Mother: ‘I Still Find It Difficult’
The Duke of Cambridge wants to end stigma around mental health.
Redefining Mental Illness
The rethinking comes at a time of disconcerting awareness that mental health problems are far more pervasive than we might have imagined. The World Health Organization estimates that one in four people will have an episode of mental illness in their lifetime.
Social Interaction Is Critical for Mental and Physical Health
People who are chronically lacking in social contacts are more likely to experience elevated levels of stress and inflammation. These, in turn, can undermine the well-being of nearly every bodily system, including the brain.
Some Companies Want You to Take a Mental-Health Day
Employers try to destigmatize mental illness, offer programs to help.
The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind
Strangely, I wasn’t worried. Like so many patients with mental illness, whose brains I had studied for a lifetime, I was losing my grasp on reality.
The Smartphone Psychiatrist
Frustrated by the failures in his field, Tom Insel, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, is now trying to reduce the world’s anguish through the devices in people’s pockets.
To Diagnose Mental Illness, Read the Brain
Rather than relying on symptoms, scientists are developing a “brain circuits first” approach to mental health.
Where Are the Mental-Health Providers?
As more patients seek help, advocates scramble to expand providers’ ranks.
Why Mental Health Disorders Emerge in Your Early 20s
Is the appearance of mental illness in young people a matter of environment or biology?
Mental Illness in a Test Tube
As psychiatric disorders become attributable to specific, testable causes, will psychiatry become obsolete?
10 Smart, Simple Self-Care Tips for Solid Mental Health
Do you ever get so busy that you neglect to take care of yourself? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us lead busy lives where we’re consumed with taking care of others and accustomed to putting their needs before ours. While compassion and caring are wonderful traits, too little self-care leaves us emotionally depleted, exhausted, and ultimately, not much good to anyone else — especially ourselves. Here are several ways to make yourself a priority in your life.
10 Stats That Prove Mental Health Treatment Needs More Attention
Getting treatment should be embraced, not denied. It’s time to do better ― with each other and as a country.
4 Ways To Help Millennial Leaders Overcome Mental Health Problems
Did you know that 20% of millennials report suffering from depression? That’s higher than both Boomers and Gen X. For 18% of those reporting, their depression resulted in problems with absenteeism.
Big Health
Helping millions back to good #mentalhealth Creators of @Sleepio - the scientifically proven digital sleep improvement program.
Born This Way
Born This Way looks forward, toward a future that supports the wellness of young people through an evidence-based approach that is fiercely kind, compassionate, accepting, and inclusive.
Bring Change to Mind
To end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness.
Heads Together
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are spearheading the Heads Together campaign to end stigma around mental health. Heads Together aims to change the national conversation on mental health and wellbeing, and is a partnership with inspiring charities with decades of experience in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health challenges.
Jack.org
Jack.org is Canada's only charity training and empowering young leaders to revolutionize mental health.
Make It OK
“Make It OK” is a campaign to reduce the stigma of mental illnesses. The organizations listed here have pledged their commitment to change the hearts and minds about the misperceptions of mental illnesses by encouraging open conversations and education on the topic.
Mental Wellness Today
Your partner in mental wellness.
MIND
We’re Mind, the mental health charity. We’re here to make sure anyone with a mental health problem has somewhere to turn for advice and support. How can we help you?
Mind Your Mind
This is a place for youth and emerging adults to access info, resources and tools during tough times. Help yourself. Help each other. Share what you live and know.
Shrink Rap
A blog by Psychiatrists for Psychiatrists. A place to talk; no one has to listen. All patient vignettes are confabulated; the psychiatrists, however, are mostly real.
Talkspace
Affordable, private therapy sessions with professional, licensed therapists who are waiting right now to help you make a real difference in your life. Anytime and anyplace, on your mobile device or on the web, your therapy sessions are always 100% confidential and secure in your private chat room with your therapist.
Wired for Happy
The purpose of Wired for Happy is to increase the frequency of positive moods so you experience healthier relationships. The most important relationship is with yourself.
YoungMinds UK
We’re leading the fight for a future where all young minds are supported and empowered, whatever the challenges. We’re here to make sure they get the best possible mental health support and have the resilience to overcome life’s difficulties.
Behavioral Health News
A free, up-to-date, and readily available source of mental health news, illness information, treatment options, and resources in the community is a critical component of the overall recovery process.
Freedom from Fear
The mission of FFF is to impact, in a positive way, the lives of all those affected by anxiety, depressive and related disorders through advocacy, education, research and community support.
GoodTherapy
Helping People Find Therapists & Advocating for Ethical Therapy.
Happify
Happify is the single destination for effective, evidence-based solutions for better emotional health and wellbeing in the 21st century.
HealthyPlace
Welcome to HealthyPlace.com. HealthyPlace.com is the largest consumer mental health site, providing comprehensive, trusted information on psychological disorders and psychiatric medications from both a consumer and expert point of view. We have an active mental health social network for support, online psychological tests, breaking mental health news, mental health videos, a live mental health tv and radio show, unique tools like our "mood journal" and more.
Help Starts Here
In thousands of ways, social workers help people help themselves. People of every age. From every background. In every corner of the country — wherever we’re needed — starting here and now. Welcome to your source for professional advice, inspiring stories — even a social worker directory. Social workers. Help starts here.
Invisibilia
Invisibilia is a series about the invisible forces that shape human behavior. The show interweaves personal stories with scientific research that will make you see your own life differently.
Jake's Health Solutions
Jake's take on mental health issues.
Mental Floss
Where knowledge junkies get their fix.
Mental Health America
Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives.
Mental Health Europe
There is no Health without Mental Health! Mental health is an essential part of any citizen's health and well being. As such, it is an essential component of communities. Good mental health is a basic human right. Factors that adversely affect mental health represent a major and growing threat to economic, social and public health in the world.
Mental Health Foundation
We are committed to reducing the suffering caused by mental ill health and to help everyone lead mentally healthier lives. We help people to survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems.
MentalHelp.net
The MentalHelp.net website exists to promote mental health and wellness education and advocacy.
MindTools
MindTools.com is here to help you learn the practical, straightforward skills you need to excel in your career.
NetworkTherapy.com
Welcome to NetworkTherapy.com, a leading provider of mental health resources and marketing solutions for the growing online mental health community. Since the formation of NetworkTherapy.com in March of 2000, our focus has been centered on providing fast and reliable access to our national network of over 3,000 mental health providers.
Neuroland
Information for professionals and patients with quick notes and extensive links.
Out of Bounds
Out of Bounds is an integral part of The Mental Fitness Center.
PsychCentral
The Internet's largest and oldest independent mental health social network created and run by mental health professionals to guarantee reliable, trusted information and support communities to you, for over 16 years.
PsychDirectory
PsychDirectory is a global directory of various psych-related services and resources.
Psychiatric Drug Facts
Peter R. Breggin, MD, has been called "The Conscience of Psychiatry" for his many decades of successful efforts to reform the mental health field. His scientific and educational work has provided the foundation for modern criticism of psychiatric drugs and ECT, and leads the way in promoting more caring and effective therapies.
PsychNet-UK
We continually strive to be major mental health, mental health care, psychology and psychiatry resource portal containing links to relevant information, articles on mental illness, fact sheets, forums, software downloads and research sources. Our site objective is to address the needs of professional mental health workers, students and the layperson.
Psychology Information Online
Psychology Information Online provides information about psychological diagnosis, disorders and problems, psychotherapy and counseling.
Psychology Today
Our site has been designed to cut through these problems by providing easily accessible, well written and timely health information that can be viewed from the privacy of your home and office.
PSYWeb.com
Depression and mental health resource.
Screening for Mental Health
Screening for Mental Health Inc. is the non-profit organization that first introduced the concept of large-scale mental health screenings with its flagship program National Depression Screening Day in 1991.
The Child Advocate
The Child Advocate and Child Mental Health are devoted to children and the parents and professionals that work with them and advocate for them. The Child Advocate Network is a national network.
The Mighty
We face disability, disease and mental illness together.
TherapistLocator
Over 15,000 marriage and family therapists are listed in TherapistLocator.net. The therapists are Members of the AAMFT, and as such must meet stringent training and education requirements established by the AAMFT.
TherapyTribe
A unique therapist directory.
TIPS
TIPS - an early intervention program for psychosis and other mental conditons...Norway.
AllPsych
AllPsych Online is one of the largest and most comprehensive psychology websites on the Internet. Inside the site you'll find over over 920 individual, cross referenced, web pages and an estimated 3000 pages of printed material.
APRIL
APRIL is a charity seeking to create awareness that many every day medicines and anaesthetics can induce psychiatric adverse reactions (ADRs) or withdrawal effects including depression, anxiety, insomnia, agitation, self harm, suicidal thoughts and actions, or violence towards others.
BetterHelp
No driving, parking or sitting in a waiting room. Connect with your counselor from your home, from your office or on the road. You just need a computer, tablet or smartphone.
Beyond Blue
A spiritual journal into mental health.
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.
Brain & Mind
Electronic magazine on neuroscience.
Brain Connection
BrainConnection.com is dedicated to providing accessible, high-quality information about how the brain works and how people learn. Many discoveries are being made in areas that relate to the human brain, including language, memory, behavior, and aging, as well as illness and injury.
BrainBlogger
The GNIF Brain Blogger covers topics from multidimensional biopsychosocial perspectives. It reviews the latest news and stories related to neuroscience, psychiatry, and neurology. It serves as a focal point for attracting new minds beyond the science of the mind-and-brain and into the biopsychosocial model.
BrainLine
BrainLine is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine includes a series of webcasts, an electronic newsletter, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about traumatic brain injury.
Breakthrough
Book an appointment with one of our licensed therapists or psychiatrists. Meet with them through your computer or smart phone.
Canadian Mental Health Association
Learn how to take care of your mental health. Get the facts about mental illness. Find help for yourself or others.
CCHR International
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious mental health industry watchdog whose mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health.
CorePsych
Dr. Charles Parker reports core scienc findings for everyday Psych problems.
Counselling Resource
Come on in and make yourself at home! Take psychological self-tests and quizzes, check symptoms of common disorders, look up medications, compare types of counselling and psychotherapy, or learn about secure online therapy.
Find a Psychologist
FindaPsychologist.org is an online consumer resource featuring psychology-related videos, articles, and in-depth topics, as well as, an extensive, freely available directory of 11,000 credentialed psychologists. FindaPsychologist.org is a product of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.
Find-a-Psychologist.com
Help is Only a Click Away...Psychologists study and understand brain/behavior processes from a scientific viewpoint and apply this knowledge to help people understand, explain and change behavior.
Find-a-Therapist.com
Search through Find-a-Therapist's directory of verified therapists, psychologists, marriage and family counselors, social workers, licensed professional counselors and psychiatrists.
HelpGuide.org
Helpguide's mission is to empower you and your loved ones to understand, prevent, and resolve health challenges.
International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine
The purpose of the Society is to further the advancement of orthomolecular medicine throughout the world, to raise awareness of this rapidly growing and cost effective practice of health care, and to unite the groups already operating in this field.
Internet Mental Health
Internet Mental Health is a free encyclopedia of mental health information created by a Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Phillip Long.
National Alliance on Mental Health
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation's largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI has affiliates in every state and in more than 1,100 local communities across the country.
National Association of Counsellors, Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists
The National Association of Counsellors, Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists is the only registered charity in the UK that represents the interests of the general public and all three professions of clinical psychotherapy.
National Counselling Society
Our belief is that counselling (and related therapies) should be seen as a vocation (not just a job but a worthy occupation) and that the relationship between counsellor and client is important for the outcome of therapy.
Neurotransmitter.net
Neurotransmitter.net exists to improve online access to biomedical information in fields such as neuroscience, pharmacology, and psychology.
Patient
Patient aims to help the world proactively manage its healthcare, supplying evidence-based information on a wide range of medical and health topics to patients and health professionals.
Beautiful mental health quotes to reflect on and inspire you.
SAMHSA
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
Society of Clinical Psychology
The purpose of this website is to provide information about effective treatments for psychological disorders. The website is meant for a wide audience, including the general public, practitioners, researchers, and students. Basic descriptions are provided for each psychological disorder and treatment. In addition, for each treatment, the website lists key references, clinical resources, and training opportunities.
Band Back Together
Through the power of real stories written by real people, we can work together to de-stigmatize mental illness, abuse, rape, baby loss and other traumas so that we may learn, grow, and heal.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.
