By: Victoria Chau, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity and Roslyn Holliday-Moore, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are...

How’s Callie doing? We get asked that a lot. We have a huge tribe and a lot of people that care about our little warrior. It seems like a simple enough question, but sometimes it’s not. I never know exactly how to...

When people find out that I struggle with visual perception, they automatically think it’s related to my eyes and not my brain. I can understand the confusion. However, visual perception is not what it may appear to...

I’m a fighter by nature. The fight to get answers and “get better” has been no different. If anything, it’s the most tenacious fight of my life. In the beginning, I was determined to find that one doctor or one...

First of all, you are amazing. You have the strength, courage and determination it takes to live with (and sometimes fight against) a mental illness every day. That is hard work in itself, and not something to be taken...

You’re not lazy. I have to speak these words to myself every single day to keep myself from hearing the voice in my head telling me the opposite. You are lazy. I believed it, especially in high school. When I couldn’t...

As a teenage kid, I couldn’t wait to turn 18. Among other things, I would be able to vote, play the lottery and buy fireworks! However, I seemed to overlook jury duty, more responsibilities… and more of everything....

In many people’s eyes, diabetes conjures up images of sugary food or finger-pricking. While it’s true that both those images can play a role in diabetes, that’s certainly not the whole picture. Diabetes is a complex...

This morning I went to the gas station. I fueled my car and when I paid, I got change to put in the machine to check the air pressure in the car tires. A car was already parked in the marked space with a man clearly...

I was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy (CP) at the age of two after my parents became concerned that I wasn’t walking. Doctors told my parents I would not have a “normal” life, I would never walk, and I...

Former WWE Diva Superstar wrestler Ashley Massaro died at the age of 39 on May 16, according to People. While her cause of death has not been officially announced, multiple sources have said Massaro died by apparent...

We’re beginning to talk more about the cost of mental illness as a way to propel the conversation forward due to the large economic costs to our society. When we talk about it, we talk in terms of lost labor hours and...

Yes, you read that right. Being depressed is like being a black jelly bean. Let me explain. To put it in very simple terms, black jelly beans are loved by a select few, but everyone else just throws them in the trash....

Last summer, I went into residential treatment for my bipolar I disorder and, primarily, my eating disorder. There were a lot of things about going to residential that I definitely expected. A lot of sleepless nights,...

After a nearly fatal suicide suicide attempt in August 2013, and many futile medication changes before and after my attempt, my psychiatrist recommended I begin electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In April 2014, my mom...

When thinking about the changes that need to happen to make mental health a more acceptable topic at work, we often consider the high-level changes that need to happen in company policies to make our workplaces more...

The last week has witnessed a plethora of rich conversations lead by the Mental Health Foundation about the intersection of body image and mental health. As Mental Health Awareness week comes to a close, Hannah from...

It’s over. “Game of Thrones,” the most-watched, most talked-about TV show in recent memory, has ended. Like many fans of the series, I was disappointed by aspects of the final season, particularly the rushed endings to...

You’ve been told all your life that when you need medical advice you shouldn’t Google it or depend on outside research–you should go see a medical professional. You live in a world where it’s assumed that doctors know...

Dear Brother, The winter blues have gotten me again. From the moment New Year’s Eve is here, I know I will have to face the torment of January. The anniversary of your death by suicide comes quickly and now it has...

If I could describe myself using one color, it would be gray. It’s always been gray, at least for as long as I can remember. Whenever doctors or therapists would ask me how I was feeling, my answer was always the same:...

Experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event can of course affect your mental health. It can turn your whole world upside down and it may be difficult to go about your life like you used to. If you have gone through a...