May Virtual Display #3: Mental Health Awareness Month

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? It was started in 1949 by Mental Health America, to bring awareness to mental illnesses and strategies to support mental health. One out of five people will experience one or more mental illnesses in their lifetime and mental health issues are often exacerbated by crisis. If you are in need of mental health resources the Clark College Counseling and Health Center has a page of Mental Health and Wellness Resources, including crisis hotlines and other resources. To learn more about Mental Health Awareness Month, check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness and their “You Are Not Alone” campaign webpage and the Mental Health America webpage on the subject.

Follow the links below to check out some ebooks, videos, articles, and other digital resources. To access ebooks click the link next to “Get It Now At:” and sign in with your lab username and password. Some may have a link at the top of the page that says “Check for full text” instead. Non-Clark Libraries resources do not require a Clark Labs account.

eBooks from Clark College Libraries

Black Women’s Mental Health : balancing strength and vulnerability edited by Stephanie Y. Evans, Kanika Bell, and Nsenga K. Burton	Affirmative Counseling with LGBTQI+ People edited by Misty M. Ginicola, Cheri Smith, and Joel M. Filmore.
Mental Health Challenges Facing Contemporary Japanese Society: The “Lonely People” by Yuko Kawanishi	First Person Accounts of Mental Illness and Recovery edited by Craig Winston LeCroy and Jane Holschuh
Mental Health and Disasters edited by Yuval Neria, Sandro Galea, and Fran H. Norris	Forgotten Citizens: Deportation, Children, and the Making of American Exiles and Orphans by Luis H. Zayas

Outside Resources

Articles and Resource Pages

15 Mental Health Resources For When You Are Feeling Helpless – Buzzfeed

“No matter if you’re thriving or struggling or somewhere in between, everyone can benefit from engaging with and nourishing their mental and emotional health. At Goodful, that means learning how to help yourself *and* how to seek out the help you need. So we’re here provide you with expert-backed advice, resources, and tips and stories from everyday people who have been there and know what you’re going through — to make your life easier, to give you the tools you need to cope, and to help you feel a little less alone, TBH.

Here are some of our best post that do just that — including relatable joke roundups, expert-backed service, moving personal essays, and everything in between.”

Mental Health Resources – Healthline

“Mental health challenges can be difficult to tackle. But support can be found in many places, and your treatment plan is one that is unique to you and your mental health journey. It’s important that you feel comfortable with your treatment plan and seek resources that will aid your recovery. The most important thing is to take that first step to get help, and then stay active in your treatment plan.”

College Students of Color: Overcoming Mental Health Challenges – Annelle B. Primm, M.D., MPH., NAMI

“Some colleges and universities have recently become settings of discrimination, racial profiling and xenophobia. Universities that create these feelings of marginalization and isolation can be harmful to mental health, and for students of color who have a pre-existing mental illness, such acts of alienation can actually worsen their condition.”

Race and Mental Health Resources – Project LETS

“Project LETS is a national grassroots organization and movement led by and for folks with lived experience of mental illness/madness, Disability, trauma, & neurodivergence. We specialize in building just, responsive, and transformative peer support collectives and community mental health care structures that do not depend on state-sanctioned systems that trap our folks in the medical/prison-industrial complex. We work for and with multiply marginalized folks in our communities to provide access, political education, & material resources that are needed to survive and thrive. We believe in a world without systems of oppression, where non-carceral responses to crises are the norm!”

52 Mental Health Resources for Disabled People, POC, LGBTQ Folks, and More – Araya Baker, Teen Vogue

“Harvard-trained educator and therapist Araya Baker explains why it’s important for minorities to have therapists and mental health resources who are part of marginalized communities.”

Websites

Mental Health – Disability Visibility Project

The Disability Visibility Project website has many articles and links to podcast episodes about mental health and disability.

Anti-Sanism LibGuide – Simmons University

“Anti-Sanism is strategies, theories, actions, and practices that challenge and counter inequalities, prejudices, and discrimination based on neuro-cognitive condition or ability. Anti-Sanism often cites and upholds “the neurodiversity paradigm, [which] is a perspective that recognizes neurodiversity as a naturally-occurring form of human diversity, like cultural diversity, racial diversity, gender diversity, diversity of physical ability, and diversity of sexual orientation.”

The Steve Fund

“The Steve Fund is the nation’s only organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color. The Steve Fund works with colleges and universities, non-profits, researchers, mental health experts, families, and young people to promote programs and strategies that build understanding and assistance for the mental and emotional health of the nation’s young people of color.”

Videos and Podcasts

The Best Mental Health Podcasts to Take You Through the Year – Healthline

“The selection of health podcasts out there is huge. The number of total podcasts stood at 550,000 in 2018. And it’s still growing. The sheer variety alone can feel anxiety-inducing. That’s why we’ve digested thousands of podcasts and found the best ones for a variety of different mental health needs, whether you want straight science, apt advice, or lots of laughs.”

Mental Health Videos – SciShow Psych

“Twice a week, SciShow Psych digs into the science of…us! SciShow Psych is all about the human brain and how we humans interact with the world. Hosts Hank Green, Brit Garner, and Anthony Brown explain ground-breaking studies and contextualize psychology throughout history.”

This link will take you to a search page with all of the videos relating to mental health.

Featured Image Photo Credit: https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month