Mental health, and your attitude towards mental health, is in your hands. What you choose to do today, impacts how you feel tomorrow.
While stigma and fear around mental illness often prevents people from reaching out for help, you can help reduce stigma by educating yourself and others about mental health.
Learn about the ways to take care of your own mental health, and how to provide support for those who are showing signs that might indicate a mental health change. It is important to know that factors, such as discrimination, systemic racism, stress and fear, can harm the mental health and overall well-being of yourself and your peers.
Sometimes it feels impossible to live a good, happy life with a mental health condition – but with support from the community and loved ones, it’s possible to feel hopeful and lead a meaningful and positive life.
One voice – your voice – can make all the difference for someone living with a mental illness.
Characterized by excessive fear or anxiety that is difficult to control and negatively and substantially impacts daily functioning.
Learn MoreDefined by a persistent pattern of inattention (for example, difficulty keeping focus) and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity (for example, difficulty controlling behavior, excessive and inappropriate motor activity).
Learn MoreCharacterized by atypical, dramatic swings in mood, and activity levels that go from periods of feeling intensely happy, irritable, and impulsive to periods of intense sadness and feelings of hopelessness.
Learn MoreCharacterized by difficulties regulating emotion. People living with BPD feel emotions intensely and for extended periods of time, and it is harder for them to return to a stable baseline after an emotionally triggering event.
Learn MoreDepression can present different symptoms depending on the person, but is often characterized by physical and mental changes that significantly interfere with daily life. Common symptoms include: hopelessness or guilty thoughts, loss of energy, changes in sleep, changes in appetite, lack of interest in activities and physical aches and pains.
Learn MoreCharacterized by an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness and memory.
Learn MoreDescribes illnesses that are characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape.
Learn MoreDefined by the presence of persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are intrusive and unwanted (obsessions), or repetitive and ritualistic behaviors that a person feels are necessary in order to control obsessions (compulsions).
Learn MoreCharacterized as the development of debilitating symptoms following exposure to a traumatic or dangerous event. These can include re-experiencing symptoms from an event, such as flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance symptoms, changing a personal routine to escape having to be reminded of an event, or being easily startled/tense that makes daily tasks nearly impossible to complete.
Learn MoreCharacterized as disruptions to a person’s thoughts and perceptions that make it difficult for them to recognize what is real and what isn’t. These disruptions are often experienced as seeing, hearing and believing things that aren’t real or having strange, persistent thoughts, behaviors and emotions.
Learn MoreCharacterized by persistent symptoms of psychosis resembling schizophrenia with additional periodic symptoms of mood disorders, such as mania and depression.
Learn MoreA brain disorder that impacts the way a person thinks (often described as a “thought disorder”), feels and acts. It is characterized by a range of mental, behavioral, and emotional experiences that can include: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking and grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior.
Learn Moreyour support to someone who might be experiencing a challenging time in their mental health journey. Even small actions, like following through with your plans to hang out or sending a quick text, can provide someone with much needed encouragement and hope. No one should have to experience this alone.
Apply to be a SpeakerFor local mental health counseling, support and crisis response services. If you are in crisis or experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Hey, it seems like you’ve got a lot on your mind lately. How are you?
I just wanted to say that I am here if you want to talk about anything – Can we get together this week?
I noticed you have missed a few days of school, and I just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing.
I haven’t seen you in a while! How have you been?
I know life can feel like a lot sometimes, but if you need someone to talk to, I want you to know I am here.
You’ve seemed a little down lately and I wanted to see how you are doing.
I just want you to know I am here for you if you ever need to talk. You’re my friend and I won’t judge you.
I know things have been hard lately; let me know if you want to talk about it. I’m here for you.