mental health

The world has faced a dissemblance of normal life in recent years, and whether you have been directly or indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, chances are high your stress levels are increased.

So many of us credit our success and accomplishments in life to someone who showed up when no one else could, someone who believed in us against the odds. Couldn’t that force be transformative in the life of a child facing an uphill battle to succeeding and thriving in their school and community?

For community health workers and staff at The Family Van, a Boston-area mobile health clinic, there’s magic in connecting with community members to offer and something special in the simple questions like, “How are you?”

Health information brought to you by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

A new initiative from the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts aims to increase access to mental health services for Black men, a group often left out of behavioral healthcare.

It was once taboo for athletes to discuss their struggles with mental health for fear that they might be banished.

In “Next to Normal” at Central Square Theater, a picture-perfect Black family gets ready for their day. Mom makes lunch, dad prepares for his workday as an architect, and two clever teens assemble their school supplies. But the picture, and the audience’s understanding of it, begins to crack as Mom’s bipolar disorder seeps into their daily routines and emotions.

For Black communities, and especially Black men, mental health can often be a taboo subject, but actor Courtney Vance is fighting to bring the issue out of the shadows.

Nine months after the official end of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health providers are only starting to grapple with the effects of the years-long health emergency on young people.

At the same time that demand for free or low-cost mental health resources is surging, recent research has identified a troubling trend: the rise in suicide rates among Black women and girls.

Afiya Mbilishaka struggled with a conflict during her college years: Should she try to make a career in hair styling or psychology? Her aunt gave the answer: “Well, why can’t you do both?” So she did.

For many years, people on probation had to wait until their trial to voluntarily seek mental health care and other services or be ordered to go into treatment by a judge. Now, for the first time, Massachusetts is removing that obstacle, easing the process and enrolling them in MassHealth right inside the courthouse.