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THE MENTAL HEALTH EDITION
ISSUE 10
W E H AV E G O O D N E W S
4
A Study Shows You Can Fully Recover From Anxiety Disorders
Veterans Find Support Through A Private Facebook Group
Good news for people with anxiety disorders: A large study
Frank Grun quit his Air Force job five years before he qual-
of 21,000 people out of the University of Toronto shows
ified for a full pension because of the toll the job was tak-
that many people will not have anxiety for their entire lives
ing on him. He witnessed his colleagues drinking, getting
and will recover fully. Generalized anxiety disorder is the
divorced, and feeling depressed, and he didn’t want the
most common type of psychiatric condition. People with
same fate. After 15 years serving as a combat rescue crew
generalized anxiety disorder worry excessively for long
member, Grun and his wife moved to Portland, Oregon.
periods, and most days they struggle to control their dis-
But he began to miss the men who served alongside him.
comfort, according to the Anxiety and Depression Associ-
He heard from several military friends that they also
ation of America. Anxiety affects 31 percent of American
were having a hard time adjusting to civilian life. In 2016,
This Police Officer Has Talked More Than 200 People From Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge
adults, and it's about twice as common in women than
one member of their friend group died by suicide. To make
Kevin Briggs is the “Guardian of the Golden Gate
men, often going hand in hand with depression.
sense of the loss, Grun started an invitation-only Facebook
Bridge.” For more than 23 years, Briggs worked as a Cal-
group for people who served in combat.
ifornia Highway Patrol officer. Most of his time was
The research team released a paper in January 2020 showing that of respondents with a history of anxiety, 72 percent were in remission, 58 percent were free of mental
“I had only one rule,” Grun told Oregon Live. “Say whatever you want, but it has to be helpful."
spent stationed at the Golden Gate Bridge just north of San Francisco.
illness for the past year, and 40 percent met the criteria for
The group grew, but tragically some of the members were
When he first started his job, he frequently handled traf-
complete mental health — defined as being free of current
dying by suicide. It took a toll. So when Grun would see a
fic incidents and never expected what his job would grow
mental illness, being able to function well, and feeling good
troubling post, he would call upon other group members to
into. He had no training on how to handle a situation in
about oneself, relationships, and community connections.
check on the member. They would reach out or even show
which someone was contemplating suicide. He didn’t re-
"There is hope," lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson said
up at their home to check in. Now the group has meetings
alize how pervasive the issue at the bridge was — that about
to U.S. News. "There is a great deal of recovery, even for
in-person, called Vets Speak, where veterans can talk about
five suicidal people would come to the bridge each month.
people who have suffered for a decade or more."
their military experiences.
“I stand back, and I'll just introduce myself,” Briggs told
According to the team’s findings, people who had at least
Plans are underway to make more events happen locally.
CBC. “I'll say, 'Hi, I'm Kevin' or 'I'm Kevin with the High-
one person in their lives who provided them with a sense
The effort is a way to honor group members who had no-
way Patrol, is it okay, is it alright if I come up and speak
of emotional security and well-being were three times
where to turn when it was most bleak.
with you for a bit?' I want to get their permission and
more likely to be in excellent mental health than those without a confidant.
“This feels like a mission,” Grun said. “It's never about me. It's about them.”
empower them." Since he started his job, he’s talked to more than 200 people standing on the edge of the bridge. Although he can’t fix
“For those with anxiety disorders, the social support that extends from a confidant can foster a sense of
WHAT'S THIS? THIS IS THE GOOD BAR.
any of the problems people are dealing with, he knows he
belonging and self-worth which may promote
We believe in celebrating good and then joining in and making a difference ourselves. The Good Bar is full of recommendations from the Good Good Good community on how to take action in meaningful ways. Start small and work your way up.
can lend a listening ear and try to understand what they’re
recovery,” co-author Kandace Ryckman said to Psych Central.
going through. Briggs retired from the California Highway Patrol in 2013, and he now works in suicide prevention.
HOW TO FIGHT VETERAN SUICIDES GO OD
BET TER
BEST
Talk about your mental health more. Just like we all have physical health, we all have mental health. When you're more open, you help others share their mental health experiences as well. You could save a life.
Support the organization Mission 22 to let veterans know they have an army behind them. Your donation assists in getting veterans treatment when they need it the most — now. Visit mission22.com for more info.
Learn more about upcoming veteran mental health policies being proposed in 11+ U.S. states. (Check out theintercept.com/2019/05/28/veterans-bill-of-rights.) And then ask your representatives to support them.
W E H AV E M O R E G O O D N E W S
Peer Support Group Helps Teens Combat Mental Illness
Mom Launched Nonprofit That Creates Inspiring Yard Signs
A San Francisco-based nonprofit is help-
Amy Wolff felt overwhelmed and hope-
ing teens deal with distress through on-
less about the suicide rates in her Or-
line peer support groups. According to the
egon town. She set out with her family
National Center for Children in Poverty,
to stake 20 inspiring and hopeful yard
about 20 percent of adolescents have a di-
signs around her community with phras-
agnosable mental health disorder.
es including “Don’t Give Up,” “You Are Not Alone,” “You Are Enough,” and many more. Her movement quickly grew, and now her signs have shipped to all 50 U.S. states and more than 25 countries in several languages.
Social media and screen time are in-
Wolff sells the products at-cost, meaning
creasingly linked to mental illness in teens,
she makes zero money from sales. She sim-
but the group, called Give Us The Floor,
ply wants to create products that encour-
leverages the power of social media to do
age her community. Among other products
good by hosting closed Snapchat groups,
aside from yard signs, the organization also
providing anonymity in a teen-only, online
creates car decals, pencils, temporary tat-
community. Trained teens facilitate confi-
toos, and stickers.
dential chats, and the members help each
“I just had a woman knock on my door,”
other with common mental health and so-
writes a woman on the organization’s web-
cial issues such as isolation, anxiety, body
site. “She began to cry and thank me for
image, bullying and relationships.
the signs in my yard. She lives up the road
After a year of beta testing, 94 percent
and said her son had attempted suicide and
of teens say their chat has helped them feel
these signs were in the yard the day they
less lonely, and 97 percent say their group
came home from the hospital. She drives
has helped them improve the way they feel
by every day and for her, her son, and her
about themselves.
daughter — the reminder is profound."
5
EVEN MORE GOOD NEWS
6
Apps Help People Of Color Find Therapists From Their Same Cultural Background he American Psychological Association reported that black people face inade-
AYANA
THE SAFE PLACE
zation reports that in 2015, 86 percent of
Former investment banker and fashion
Jasmin Pierre is an author and mental
psychologists in the U.S. were white, while
entrepreneur Eric Coly launched an app,
health advocate who became an activist
5 percent were Asian, another 5 percent
called Ayana, that connects people of
after surviving several suicide attempts.
According to Japan’s health ministry, the
were Hispanic, and just 4 percent were
color with therapists from their same
Through her own recovery, she focused on
number of people who died by suicide in
black. According to a report from the U.S.
cultural background.
spreading mental health awareness within
the country in 2019 totaled 19,959, falling
Department of Health and Human Ser-
“Take aside the stigmatization and the
under 20,000 for the first time since 1978,
vices, black adults over 18 years of age
lack of access to insurance and resourc-
when the country started gathering statis-
are 10 percent more likely to report hav-
es, [minorities] tend to only find people
When she was diagnosed with depres-
tics. The annual total fell by about 4 per-
ing serious psychological distress than
whom they aren’t able to relate to quite
sion, she thought, “Black people aren't
cent since 2018, marking 10 years straight
non-Hispanic whites. And black children
well,” Coly told Fast Company. “And they
supposed to get depressed. We have to be
of decline after the total reached nearly
ages 5 to 12 die by suicide at a rate twice
essentially give up. They buy into the no-
strong,” she told Good Morning America.
33,000 in 2009.
that of their white counterparts, according
tion that there’s no one out there who can
“I always grew up hearing that therapy
to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
help them.”
and mental health medication is just for
quate access to mental and
For the First Time In More Than 40 Years, Suicides In Japan Were Under 20,000
Japan has a relatively high suicide rate compared to other countries, and it’s been
behavioral health care. The same organi-
These apps hope to be a solution.
Ayana allows virtual therapy, con-
the black community and created an app called The Safe Place.
white people.”
a major national issue. In response, the gov-
necting people through text messaging,
Pierre told Good Morning America that
ernment launched a nine-step plan in 2007
phone calls, or video conferencing. Users
the black community faces generation-
to prevent suicides. They increased fund-
can log into the app anonymously, then
al trauma after experiencing tragedies:
ing to investigate the causes of suicide and
take a culturally sensitive question-
slavery, lynchings, police brutality, gun vi-
to improve treatment for those who have
naire before getting matched with a
olence, racial profiling, and more. She ex-
survived attempted suicides. In 2009, the
licensed professional.
plained that this trauma moves from one
Japanese government committed 15.8 bil-
"I strongly believe that if
generation to another and because these
lion yen towards suicide prevention strat-
finding a reflection of yourself
communities are so focused on surviv-
egies. The evidence clearly indicates these
in your counselor is what
al, the trauma is suppressed, and mental
measures — among other grassroots initi-
you demand to find a safe
atives around the country — are working to
space, you are entitled to
The app includes mental health statis-
create a society in which fewer people die
it," Coly writes on the
tics, self-care tips, self-assessment ques-
by suicide.
company website.
health is an afterthought.
tionnaires, and more.
HOW TO USE TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD GO OD
BET TER
BEST
Social media is often a highlight reel of positive moments, but that can leave those who are struggling feel more alone. Help others feel less alone by posting about mental health and use the hashtag #TalkingAboutIt.
Set aside a monthly budget of $5, $25, or $50 in a "Do Good" fund. Anytime you see something that breaks your heart in the news or online, find an organization working to make a difference and give them a donation.
Your empathy and time can make a difference when you become a volunteer Crisis Counselor for Crisis Text Line. Crisis Counselors commit to volunteering 4 hours per week and receive crisis intervention training.
F O R S U RV I V O R S
7
What I unearthed — about myself and survivors as a
how I feel about it. My mind no longer feels like an enemy,
whole — was shocking. For example: Survivors of sexual
but a roommate I check in with routinely asks me: How are
assault are highly susceptible to mental disorders such as
you doing? What can I do to help? Having these open ex-
depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Because of the culture of
changes of vulnerability and honesty freed me of the shame
shame around sexual assault, perpetuated by victim-blam-
of hiding in my head. I don’t label myself as weak or strong
ing, survivors are also less likely to seek help for it. Such
anymore — I am just a person recovering from a violence
was the case with me. Such is the case with many other
I never asked for.
survivors. Such is the case even now — at least until we re-
To any survivors reading this: I see you, and I love you.
structure the way we talk about sexual assault as a whole,
Just as much as our assault doesn't define us, neither do
an ambitious mission I undertook with Project Consent for
our mental disorders. Keep moving forward. I’m walking
more than six years.
right beside you.
When I was diagnosed, I was equal parts relieved and embarrassed. Relieved because there was finally an explanation for the sleepless nights, the trauma that would replay on a loop, and the sense of foreboding that followed me constant-
DEAR SURVIVORS, YOU AREN'T ALONE by Sara Li
ly. But I was also ashamed because the stigma around mental health doesn’t just extend to having it — it also rears its ugly head most when one is seeking to break free from it. I tried to downplay my conditions for years, fearing that my diagnosis would weaken me in the eyes of my peers. I didn’t want to be a depressed person, living with PTSD and anxiety, any more than I wanted to be a survivor of sexual assault.
When I was first diagnosed with PTSD at 18 years old, my first and immediate reaction was: What? I haven’t been at war.
But looking back, I’ve never felt weaker than when I was pretending to be strong. In my final years of running Project Consent, I had to
The year was 2015, and conversations about mental
redefine what it meant to live with multiple mental disor-
health and sexual assault were barely breaking the sur-
ders. It was comforting knowing it wasn’t a path I had to
face. I know this because I was running an advocacy or-
walk alone, nor was it my whole journey. I started telling
ganization called Project Consent at the time. Even my own
other survivors that I see them, just as much they saw me.
understanding of trauma was limited by our culture’s un-
We were all parts of a whole, trying to fit ourselves in our
willingness to talk about sexual violence in a way that was
bodies and this world again. The path to healing was never
comprehensive and empathetic. So like many other silent
easy, but Project Consent did our part to make it less lonely.
survivors, I was left to stew in the house of horrors that was
It’s true that I was never at war. But I did experience
my mind until the day I finally saw a therapist.
I don’t label myself as weak or strong anymore — I am just a person recovering from a violence I never asked for. Sara Li is a 23-year-old arts and culture writer in New York City. She's the founder of Project Consent, an award-winning advocacy group for sexual assault survivors. You can learn more about Sara and get in touch at sarali.com.
something traumatic and at the very least, I’m entitled to
HOW TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT GO OD
BET TER
BEST
If someone tells you they've been sexually assaulted, it can be hard to know what to say. Read these tips for talking with survivors of sexual assault at rainn.org/articles/ tips-talking-survivors-sexual-assault.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an orgaanization that provides research, statistics, and resources around sexual assault and violence. A donation of only $42 can help RAINN assist one survivor.
Take things a step further by volunteering with RAINN. As a trained volunteer, you'll provide much-needed support to victims of sexual assault and their loved ones. And you'll receive extensive crisis intervention training.
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