As we continue to explore innovative ways of improving equitable mental health access and treatment, we know one major way we can help is by supporting young adults from all backgrounds and identities in their mental health-related studies. Mental health professions are broader than you may think – it includes historically recognized practices such as…
I was in my second year of college when my first major bout with depression hit. It was 2006 and at the time, I had never heard about depression, anxiety, or really mental health at all. I didn’t have the language to articulate what I was going through to the people around me, and they…
We forget. Again and again, we forget. We forget the lives lost. We forget the screaming and tears of the classmates. The gasping, breathtaking grief of the parents, and the ashen shock of the teachers. We forget the horror, the anger, the anguish. We forget. We allow complacency and suffering to perpetuate. Today, there are…
At one time or another, we’ve all said the wrong thing. Despite best intentions, anyone can commit a microaggression. Embedded in our culture, institutions, and interactions, these systems can become part of our thinking without us even realizing it. When we use words or actions to create harm against stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups, such…
Today, a group of thirty youth mental health leaders, including five affiliated with Active Minds, presented creative, thought-provoking solutions to the youth mental health crises currently unfolding in our nation. The inaugural Mental Health Youth Action Forum, created by MTV Entertainment, and featuring mental health nonprofits, senior officials from the Biden-Harris administration, and special guest…
Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. As a high schooler, I convinced myself that starting college would be the fresh start I was looking for. I was certainly ready for one. So as I sat on the long drive to Eastern Michigan University (EMU) I looked through lists of student clubs, envisioning what…
Active Minds is headquartered in Washington D.C., and for many years, I was too. I went into the office each day on a consistent schedule, and from there, it felt easy to achieve a work/life balance. I gave my all to our team in the office and was able to focus on my loved ones…
It’s that time of year again. A time when college students across the country are camped out in libraries, surrounded by stacks of flashcards, empty coffee cups, and months worth of notes, otherwise known as finals season. I’m right there too – over the next week or so, I have three finals, a four-thousand-word essay,…
Living in a small town in rural Massachusetts, I often joked that the only two things to do for fun were going to the local Target or finding a place to hike. Ironically, up until the pandemic, I never really enjoyed hiking (consequently, I spent a lot of time at Target). I was fortunate to…
I’m the son of two public school teachers. Because of this, I would like to think I have a unique perspective on just how much educators can change the lives of others (discounting that I was quite literally raised by educators). My parents have taught all sorts of students from a variety of backgrounds and…
Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults.