05/02/2024

CASA Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Month, dedicated to prioritizing our well-being and promoting open conversations about mental health. At CASA, we recognize the importance of mental health and its impact on our personal and professional lives.

This year’s national theme, “Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World,” reminds us that dealing with life’s pressures can be overwhelming, and everyone deserves to feel supported and empowered to seek help when needed.

Throughout May, we encourage you to check out these resources to promote awareness and provide you or your colleagues with useful tools regarding mental health:

• “The mental health benefits of storytelling for health care workers” – TedED video by Laurel Braitman: “Health care workers are under more stress than ever before. How can they protect their mental health while handling new and complex pressures? TED Fellow Laurel Braitman shows how writing and sharing personal stories helps physicians, nurses, medical students and other health professionals connect more meaningfully with themselves and others -- and make their emotional well-being a priority.”
• “The Emotional PPE Project” - a volunteer-run non-profit organization, founded in 2020: “Our mission is to champion the wellbeing of healthcare workers by reducing barriers to seeking mental and emotional health care.”  
• National Alliance on Mental Illness – Resources for Healthcare Professionals
• Mental Health Services Division California – a page with links to resources for programs, services, and providers
• National Institute of Mental Health – a page with links on finding a mental health provider and treatment
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration – a page with resources and information on substance abuse

Additional resources include:

• "How to stay calm under pressure" - TedED video by Noa Kageyama and Pen-Pen Chen
• "What is depression?" – TedED video by Helen M. Farrell
• "What is schizophrenia?" – TedED video by Anees Bahji
• "How to manage your emotions" - TedED video directed by Daniel Stankler
• "What's normal anxiety and what's an anxiety disorder?"– TedED video by Jen Gunter

Let’s make May a month of mental health awareness, support, and action at CASA!