speech on mental health in english

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Speech on Mental Health

In recent years, mental health has become a prime focus for many professionals working in the field of medicine. We are now in an age where the overall performance of an individual depends as much on their mental health as it does on their physical health.

• 10 Lines Speech on Mental Health

Mental health is an important topic that needs to be talked about.

Millions of people are impacted annually by this grave problem.

It is important to have mental health conversations and destigmatize the issue

Talking about mental health can help people identify and understand their own mental health, as well as the mental health of others.

Mental illness has been stigmatized for years and we need to change that.

Mental illness can be caused by many things such as genetics, physical trauma, and social factors.

There are many different types of mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders and eating disorders.

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, people have started paying more attention to mental health and well being.

Mental health should be given as much importance as physical health.

A healthy mind is necessary to have a healthy body.

200 Words Speech on Mental Health

500 words speech on mental health.

Mental health is a major issue in the world today. It is not a topic that is often discussed, and it can be difficult to know how to deal with it. But mental health is an important thing to discuss because it affects many people and can lead to other problems if left untreated. It’s important to talk about what mental health is, what causes mental health problems, and how you can help someone who has mental health issues.

The first thing that you should know about mental health is that there are many different types of disorders that fall under this category. The most common are depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). You may have heard of some of these before or seen them in the media but there are many more types than just those listed here.

The second thing to know about mental illnesses is what causes them. There are different factors that can cause someone’s brain chemistry to change which could leave a deep impression on one’s life.

Anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background, can have mild to severe mental health issues. A good mental state is crucial for many reasons. It aids us in overcoming difficulties and tensions that we face on a daily basis.

The topic of mental health has to be discussed.. It is an issue that affects people from all walks of life, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. The stigma surrounding mental health has been present for a long time, and it is still present today. People are afraid to talk about mental illness because they are afraid of what other people will think of them or how they will react.

In the past, people who were dealing with mental health issues were often stigmatized and made to feel ashamed. Mental health is not a disease that's easily understood by the general public. It's something that we're learning more about every day, and it's something we're all responsible for learning about. Mental illness is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength. It takes courage to face your mind and to work on improving your mental health.

Possible Causes | Mental health issues and illness can be caused by a wide variety of things. It can be caused by genetics, trauma, or a combination. Mental health is an important part of our overall well-being, and it is important to take care of it. Some causes of mental health issues are genetic. This means that they are caused by genes passed on from one or both parents to the child. Trauma is also a cause for bad mental health and this could be something that happened in the past or something happening currently in your life such as abuse, bullying, or neglect. Mental health is an important part of our overall well-being and should not be taken lightly.

Taking Care of Mental Well-Being

Here are some points on how to take care of your mental health:

Develop a routine and stick to it. This will help you get into a healthy routine and make your life more manageable.

Practice self-care by doing things that you enjoy such as reading, drawing, writing or going for walks. Self-care can also include taking time off work, getting enough sleep and eating well.

Take care of your mental health by being mindful of what you're feeling - don't ignore it or try to avoid it because this will only worsen it.

You're not the only person who has these feelings and this is not your fault.

Even if you don't feel like going out, it's important that you do so to maintain a sense of normality for yourself.

In conclusion, realise that you are not the only one in this world that is experiencing mental health issues and that there are many things for which you might be grateful for. Our emotional, psychological, and social well-being are all parts of our mental health. It influences how we think, feel, and behave. It also affects how we respond to stress. As a result, it is crucial at every stage of life. You might be able to help the other person who is struggling if you take action for yourself today. Simply keep an eye on your friends to see how they're faring.

Explore Career Options (By Industry)

• Construction
• Entertainment
• Manufacturing
• Information Technology

Data Administrator

Database professionals use software to store and organise data such as financial information, and customer shipping records. Individuals who opt for a career as data administrators ensure that data is available for users and secured from unauthorised sales. DB administrators may work in various types of industries. It may involve computer systems design, service firms, insurance companies, banks and hospitals.

Bio Medical Engineer

The field of biomedical engineering opens up a universe of expert chances. An Individual in the biomedical engineering career path work in the field of engineering as well as medicine, in order to find out solutions to common problems of the two fields. The biomedical engineering job opportunities are to collaborate with doctors and researchers to develop medical systems, equipment, or devices that can solve clinical problems. Here we will be discussing jobs after biomedical engineering, how to get a job in biomedical engineering, biomedical engineering scope, and salary. 

Ethical Hacker

A career as ethical hacker involves various challenges and provides lucrative opportunities in the digital era where every giant business and startup owns its cyberspace on the world wide web. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path try to find the vulnerabilities in the cyber system to get its authority. If he or she succeeds in it then he or she gets its illegal authority. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path then steal information or delete the file that could affect the business, functioning, or services of the organization.

GIS officer work on various GIS software to conduct a study and gather spatial and non-spatial information. GIS experts update the GIS data and maintain it. The databases include aerial or satellite imagery, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, and manually digitized images of maps. In a career as GIS expert, one is responsible for creating online and mobile maps.

Data Analyst

The invention of the database has given fresh breath to the people involved in the data analytics career path. Analysis refers to splitting up a whole into its individual components for individual analysis. Data analysis is a method through which raw data are processed and transformed into information that would be beneficial for user strategic thinking.

Data are collected and examined to respond to questions, evaluate hypotheses or contradict theories. It is a tool for analyzing, transforming, modeling, and arranging data with useful knowledge, to assist in decision-making and methods, encompassing various strategies, and is used in different fields of business, research, and social science.

Geothermal Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as geothermal engineers are the professionals involved in the processing of geothermal energy. The responsibilities of geothermal engineers may vary depending on the workplace location. Those who work in fields design facilities to process and distribute geothermal energy. They oversee the functioning of machinery used in the field.

Database Architect

If you are intrigued by the programming world and are interested in developing communications networks then a career as database architect may be a good option for you. Data architect roles and responsibilities include building design models for data communication networks. Wide Area Networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), and intranets are included in the database networks. It is expected that database architects will have in-depth knowledge of a company's business to develop a network to fulfil the requirements of the organisation. Stay tuned as we look at the larger picture and give you more information on what is db architecture, why you should pursue database architecture, what to expect from such a degree and what your job opportunities will be after graduation. Here, we will be discussing how to become a data architect. Students can visit NIT Trichy , IIT Kharagpur , JMI New Delhi . 

Remote Sensing Technician

Individuals who opt for a career as a remote sensing technician possess unique personalities. Remote sensing analysts seem to be rational human beings, they are strong, independent, persistent, sincere, realistic and resourceful. Some of them are analytical as well, which means they are intelligent, introspective and inquisitive. 

Remote sensing scientists use remote sensing technology to support scientists in fields such as community planning, flight planning or the management of natural resources. Analysing data collected from aircraft, satellites or ground-based platforms using statistical analysis software, image analysis software or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a significant part of their work. Do you want to learn how to become remote sensing technician? There's no need to be concerned; we've devised a simple remote sensing technician career path for you. Scroll through the pages and read.

Budget Analyst

Budget analysis, in a nutshell, entails thoroughly analyzing the details of a financial budget. The budget analysis aims to better understand and manage revenue. Budget analysts assist in the achievement of financial targets, the preservation of profitability, and the pursuit of long-term growth for a business. Budget analysts generally have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a closely related field. Knowledge of Financial Management is of prime importance in this career.

Underwriter

An underwriter is a person who assesses and evaluates the risk of insurance in his or her field like mortgage, loan, health policy, investment, and so on and so forth. The underwriter career path does involve risks as analysing the risks means finding out if there is a way for the insurance underwriter jobs to recover the money from its clients. If the risk turns out to be too much for the company then in the future it is an underwriter who will be held accountable for it. Therefore, one must carry out his or her job with a lot of attention and diligence.

Finance Executive

Product manager.

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for product planning and marketing. He or she manages the product throughout the Product Life Cycle, gathering and prioritising the product. A product manager job description includes defining the product vision and working closely with team members of other departments to deliver winning products.  

Operations Manager

Individuals in the operations manager jobs are responsible for ensuring the efficiency of each department to acquire its optimal goal. They plan the use of resources and distribution of materials. The operations manager's job description includes managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and performing administrative tasks.

Stock Analyst

Individuals who opt for a career as a stock analyst examine the company's investments makes decisions and keep track of financial securities. The nature of such investments will differ from one business to the next. Individuals in the stock analyst career use data mining to forecast a company's profits and revenues, advise clients on whether to buy or sell, participate in seminars, and discussing financial matters with executives and evaluate annual reports.

A Researcher is a professional who is responsible for collecting data and information by reviewing the literature and conducting experiments and surveys. He or she uses various methodological processes to provide accurate data and information that is utilised by academicians and other industry professionals. Here, we will discuss what is a researcher, the researcher's salary, types of researchers.

Welding Engineer

Welding Engineer Job Description: A Welding Engineer work involves managing welding projects and supervising welding teams. He or she is responsible for reviewing welding procedures, processes and documentation. A career as Welding Engineer involves conducting failure analyses and causes on welding issues. 

Transportation Planner

A career as Transportation Planner requires technical application of science and technology in engineering, particularly the concepts, equipment and technologies involved in the production of products and services. In fields like land use, infrastructure review, ecological standards and street design, he or she considers issues of health, environment and performance. A Transportation Planner assigns resources for implementing and designing programmes. He or she is responsible for assessing needs, preparing plans and forecasts and compliance with regulations.

Environmental Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as an environmental engineer are construction professionals who utilise the skills and knowledge of biology, soil science, chemistry and the concept of engineering to design and develop projects that serve as solutions to various environmental problems. 

Safety Manager

A Safety Manager is a professional responsible for employee’s safety at work. He or she plans, implements and oversees the company’s employee safety. A Safety Manager ensures compliance and adherence to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines.

Conservation Architect

A Conservation Architect is a professional responsible for conserving and restoring buildings or monuments having a historic value. He or she applies techniques to document and stabilise the object’s state without any further damage. A Conservation Architect restores the monuments and heritage buildings to bring them back to their original state.

Structural Engineer

A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software. 

Highway Engineer

Highway Engineer Job Description:  A Highway Engineer is a civil engineer who specialises in planning and building thousands of miles of roads that support connectivity and allow transportation across the country. He or she ensures that traffic management schemes are effectively planned concerning economic sustainability and successful implementation.

Field Surveyor

Are you searching for a Field Surveyor Job Description? A Field Surveyor is a professional responsible for conducting field surveys for various places or geographical conditions. He or she collects the required data and information as per the instructions given by senior officials. 

Orthotist and Prosthetist

Orthotists and Prosthetists are professionals who provide aid to patients with disabilities. They fix them to artificial limbs (prosthetics) and help them to regain stability. There are times when people lose their limbs in an accident. In some other occasions, they are born without a limb or orthopaedic impairment. Orthotists and prosthetists play a crucial role in their lives with fixing them to assistive devices and provide mobility.

Pathologist

A career in pathology in India is filled with several responsibilities as it is a medical branch and affects human lives. The demand for pathologists has been increasing over the past few years as people are getting more aware of different diseases. Not only that, but an increase in population and lifestyle changes have also contributed to the increase in a pathologist’s demand. The pathology careers provide an extremely huge number of opportunities and if you want to be a part of the medical field you can consider being a pathologist. If you want to know more about a career in pathology in India then continue reading this article.

Veterinary Doctor

Speech therapist, gynaecologist.

Gynaecology can be defined as the study of the female body. The job outlook for gynaecology is excellent since there is evergreen demand for one because of their responsibility of dealing with not only women’s health but also fertility and pregnancy issues. Although most women prefer to have a women obstetrician gynaecologist as their doctor, men also explore a career as a gynaecologist and there are ample amounts of male doctors in the field who are gynaecologists and aid women during delivery and childbirth. 

Audiologist

The audiologist career involves audiology professionals who are responsible to treat hearing loss and proactively preventing the relevant damage. Individuals who opt for a career as an audiologist use various testing strategies with the aim to determine if someone has a normal sensitivity to sounds or not. After the identification of hearing loss, a hearing doctor is required to determine which sections of the hearing are affected, to what extent they are affected, and where the wound causing the hearing loss is found. As soon as the hearing loss is identified, the patients are provided with recommendations for interventions and rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and appropriate medical referrals. While audiology is a branch of science that studies and researches hearing, balance, and related disorders.

An oncologist is a specialised doctor responsible for providing medical care to patients diagnosed with cancer. He or she uses several therapies to control the cancer and its effect on the human body such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biopsy. An oncologist designs a treatment plan based on a pathology report after diagnosing the type of cancer and where it is spreading inside the body.

Are you searching for an ‘Anatomist job description’? An Anatomist is a research professional who applies the laws of biological science to determine the ability of bodies of various living organisms including animals and humans to regenerate the damaged or destroyed organs. If you want to know what does an anatomist do, then read the entire article, where we will answer all your questions.

For an individual who opts for a career as an actor, the primary responsibility is to completely speak to the character he or she is playing and to persuade the crowd that the character is genuine by connecting with them and bringing them into the story. This applies to significant roles and littler parts, as all roles join to make an effective creation. Here in this article, we will discuss how to become an actor in India, actor exams, actor salary in India, and actor jobs. 

Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats create and direct original routines for themselves, in addition to developing interpretations of existing routines. The work of circus acrobats can be seen in a variety of performance settings, including circus, reality shows, sports events like the Olympics, movies and commercials. Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats must be prepared to face rejections and intermittent periods of work. The creativity of acrobats may extend to other aspects of the performance. For example, acrobats in the circus may work with gym trainers, celebrities or collaborate with other professionals to enhance such performance elements as costume and or maybe at the teaching end of the career.

Video Game Designer

Career as a video game designer is filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. A video game designer is someone who is involved in the process of creating a game from day one. He or she is responsible for fulfilling duties like designing the character of the game, the several levels involved, plot, art and similar other elements. Individuals who opt for a career as a video game designer may also write the codes for the game using different programming languages.

Depending on the video game designer job description and experience they may also have to lead a team and do the early testing of the game in order to suggest changes and find loopholes.

Radio Jockey

Radio Jockey is an exciting, promising career and a great challenge for music lovers. If you are really interested in a career as radio jockey, then it is very important for an RJ to have an automatic, fun, and friendly personality. If you want to get a job done in this field, a strong command of the language and a good voice are always good things. Apart from this, in order to be a good radio jockey, you will also listen to good radio jockeys so that you can understand their style and later make your own by practicing.

A career as radio jockey has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. If you want to know more about a career as radio jockey, and how to become a radio jockey then continue reading the article.

Choreographer

The word “choreography" actually comes from Greek words that mean “dance writing." Individuals who opt for a career as a choreographer create and direct original dances, in addition to developing interpretations of existing dances. A Choreographer dances and utilises his or her creativity in other aspects of dance performance. For example, he or she may work with the music director to select music or collaborate with other famous choreographers to enhance such performance elements as lighting, costume and set design.

Social Media Manager

A career as social media manager involves implementing the company’s or brand’s marketing plan across all social media channels. Social media managers help in building or improving a brand’s or a company’s website traffic, build brand awareness, create and implement marketing and brand strategy. Social media managers are key to important social communication as well.

Photographer

Photography is considered both a science and an art, an artistic means of expression in which the camera replaces the pen. In a career as a photographer, an individual is hired to capture the moments of public and private events, such as press conferences or weddings, or may also work inside a studio, where people go to get their picture clicked. Photography is divided into many streams each generating numerous career opportunities in photography. With the boom in advertising, media, and the fashion industry, photography has emerged as a lucrative and thrilling career option for many Indian youths.

An individual who is pursuing a career as a producer is responsible for managing the business aspects of production. They are involved in each aspect of production from its inception to deception. Famous movie producers review the script, recommend changes and visualise the story. 

They are responsible for overseeing the finance involved in the project and distributing the film for broadcasting on various platforms. A career as a producer is quite fulfilling as well as exhaustive in terms of playing different roles in order for a production to be successful. Famous movie producers are responsible for hiring creative and technical personnel on contract basis.

Copy Writer

In a career as a copywriter, one has to consult with the client and understand the brief well. A career as a copywriter has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. Several new mediums of advertising are opening therefore making it a lucrative career choice. Students can pursue various copywriter courses such as Journalism , Advertising , Marketing Management . Here, we have discussed how to become a freelance copywriter, copywriter career path, how to become a copywriter in India, and copywriting career outlook. 

In a career as a vlogger, one generally works for himself or herself. However, once an individual has gained viewership there are several brands and companies that approach them for paid collaboration. It is one of those fields where an individual can earn well while following his or her passion. 

Ever since internet costs got reduced the viewership for these types of content has increased on a large scale. Therefore, a career as a vlogger has a lot to offer. If you want to know more about the Vlogger eligibility, roles and responsibilities then continue reading the article. 

For publishing books, newspapers, magazines and digital material, editorial and commercial strategies are set by publishers. Individuals in publishing career paths make choices about the markets their businesses will reach and the type of content that their audience will be served. Individuals in book publisher careers collaborate with editorial staff, designers, authors, and freelance contributors who develop and manage the creation of content.

Careers in journalism are filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. One cannot afford to miss out on the details. As it is the small details that provide insights into a story. Depending on those insights a journalist goes about writing a news article. A journalism career can be stressful at times but if you are someone who is passionate about it then it is the right choice for you. If you want to know more about the media field and journalist career then continue reading this article.

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Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication) , B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media) , or  MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.  

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Careers in computer programming primarily refer to the systematic act of writing code and moreover include wider computer science areas. The word 'programmer' or 'coder' has entered into practice with the growing number of newly self-taught tech enthusiasts. Computer programming careers involve the use of designs created by software developers and engineers and transforming them into commands that can be implemented by computers. These commands result in regular usage of social media sites, word-processing applications and browsers.

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Individuals in the information security manager career path involves in overseeing and controlling all aspects of computer security. The IT security manager job description includes planning and carrying out security measures to protect the business data and information from corruption, theft, unauthorised access, and deliberate attack 

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Speech on Mental Health Awareness

Mental health is as vital as physical wellbeing. Yet, it often gets less attention. You might be surprised to learn how common mental health issues are around us.

Understanding mental health can help us support those who struggle. This topic is vast, affecting people of all ages and from all walks of life. Let’s shed light on mental health awareness together.

1-minute Speech on Mental Health Awareness

Good day to you all. Today we talk about something very important – mental health. Just like we care for our bodies, we need to care for our minds too. But sometimes, we forget about it.

Our mind, like our body, can feel sick. This sickness is not like a cough or a cold. It is a sickness of feelings. You might feel very sad, very scared, or very worried all the time. This is not your fault. Just like we catch a cold, we can have these feelings too.

Sometimes, people don’t tell others about their feelings. They think others will laugh at them. Or they think it’s bad to have such feelings. But remember, it’s okay to have these feelings. It’s okay to tell others about them. It’s not bad. It’s not wrong.

There are people who can help you with these feelings. They are like doctors for your mind. They listen to you. They help you understand your feelings. They help you feel better. They don’t laugh at you. They don’t think it’s bad.

Mental health is as important as physical health. We need to talk about it. We need to understand it. We need to help people who have these feelings. Remember, it’s okay to talk about your feelings. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s not bad. It’s not wrong.

Let’s promise today. We will talk about mental health. We will help others understand it. We will help people who have these feelings. Because mental health is important. Because you are important. Thank you.

2-minute Speech on Mental Health Awareness

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our minds are just like our bodies. They can feel pain. They can get hurt. But we can’t see those wounds. Today, let’s talk about something very important, yet often ignored: mental health.

Imagine a friend with a broken leg. You wouldn’t tell them to walk it off, right? You’d help them get to a doctor. You’d understand their pain. Mental health issues are like that broken leg. They hurt. They need care. But they are invisible, and that can make them tricky to understand.

Depression, anxiety, stress disorders – these are not just words, but real, painful conditions. People suffering from them need our help, our care, and our understanding. Just as we wouldn’t ignore a friend with a broken leg, we shouldn’t ignore a friend struggling with mental health problems.

Now, let’s think about the word ‘normal’. It’s a tricky word. What looks normal on the outside might not be normal on the inside. A person may look happy, but they might be sad inside. A person may look calm, but they might be stressed inside. It’s important to remember this: it’s okay not to feel okay.

We should never feel ashamed about our feelings. If we feel sad, scared, or stressed, we should talk about it. We should share our feelings with our friends, our family, or a trusted adult. It’s not a sign of weakness, but a step towards healing.

Now, some of us might wonder: what can we do? How can we help? The answer is simple. Be there. Be a good friend. Listen without judging. Understand without blaming. Be kind, be patient, be supportive. A word of kindness can mean the world to someone who is struggling.

Mental health is not a one-day topic. It’s a lifelong journey. We need to talk about it today, tomorrow, and every day after that. We need to learn more, understand more, and care more. And remember, no one is alone in this journey. We are all together.

In the end, I would like to say one thing: mental health matters. It’s as important as physical health. Let’s talk about it. Let’s understand it. Let’s help each other. Let’s make this world a better place, not just for our bodies, but for our minds too.

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This Is Not The End – Inspiring Speech On Depression & Mental Health

This is not the end – inspiring speech on depression & mental health.

If you are suffering from depression, please seek help. Talk to someone. Commit to work on yourself. You CAN turn it all around and you DO DESERVE it. Get help in your country:  Help Hotlines For Depression

This Is Not The End. Watch FREE on our YouTube channel:

Transcript: This Is Not The End – Inspiring Speech On Depression

I want you to know that, no matter where you are in life… No matter how low you have sunk… No matter how bleak your situation… This is NOT THE END.

This is not the end of your story This is not the final chapter of your life.

I know it may be hard right now But if you just hang in there Stick it out Stay with me for a little while… You will find, that this tough moment will pass, and, if you are committed to USING this pain, 
using it to build your character, 
finding a greater MEANING for the pain, 
you will find that, in time, 
you can turn your life around, and help others going through the same struggles.

The world right now is in the middle of a mental health crisis.

It’s estimated almost half the population suffers from depression at some stage throughout their life.

Rather than join the cue, it’s important we it’s learn why we get down, and then how we can change it, because believe it or not, we create our own negative feelings and we can also ensure that we turn our lives around and be a positive change for others.

The reason anyone gets depressed always comes down to the CONSISTENT thoughts we think, and the CONSISTENT beliefs we hold.

Let me say that again.

If I believe I am fat, horrible, ugly and unworthy of love, I will most likely become depressed or have depression thoughts

If my thought process is “I must be in a relationship and earn X amount to be happy” I might get depression if I don’t achieve those goals.

The point here is that anyone that is depressed, is so, because there is an external factor that didn’t materialize in their life – 

i.e…. (They have lost something outside of their control, or don’t have something that is out of their control) 

the most common reasons for depression are : a lost a job, relationship break downs or non existence, body image, comparison to others.

The only way out of this is to work on yourself, every day.

In school we are taught how to get a job, but no one teaches us how to live in a state of happiness. 

No one teaches us how important our conscious and unconscious thoughts and associations are. Is our happiness not worth more than a job?

And before you say, happiness won’t pay my bills – happiness WILL pay your bills, when you realize you will be 10 times more energized, focused and take positive action in your life, when you FIRST choose to develop yourself as a priority, and THEN get to all the “stuff” of the world.

I’ve seen some people, who many would consider to “have it all” end their life because they thought they were not good enough. A thought, a belief within them told them they were not worthy. These people that many were jealous of, many envious of, were not good enough.

You must value yourself enough, to take the time EVERY SINGLE DAY to work on you. To engage in something, that will ensure you are a positive influence on the world.

This of course doesn’t mean life will suddenly be perfect. The same life-challenges will show up, but if your mind is strong, if you mind is at peace, your REACTION to the challenging times will be very different.

Your reaction will be HOW CAN I MAKE THIS WORK, not ‘why is this happening to me’

And then others will look to you, not with pity but with HOPE, because your strength will become their HOPE, their strength.

You really can be that powerful. You can ditch the victim story, you can leave the pain behind and FOCUS on how you will react next. How you will react positively.

Read. Read all you can read to get your mind in a positive place. Take steps to ensure you will be in a better position next time – whatever pain you are suffering – how can you ensure it won’t show again – 

Take little steps… and soon you will be at the top of the stair case.

Don’t give up You are worthy You are more than worthy! You deserve to experience how great life can be – and you owe it to the world to be that positive change for others. To inspire others – who will look to you and say – he did it, she did it, and I can do it too.

How should we talk about mental health?

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Mental health suffers from a major image problem. One in every four people experiences mental health issues — yet more than 40 percent of countries worldwide have no mental health policy. Across the board it seems like we have no idea how to talk about it respectfully and responsibly.

Stigma and discrimination are the two biggest obstacles to a productive public dialogue about mental health; indeed, the problem seems to be largely one of communication. So we asked seven mental health experts: How should we talk about mental health? How can informed and sensitive people do it right – and how can the media do it responsibly?

End the stigma

Easier said than done, of course. Says journalist  Andrew Solomon : “People still think that it’s shameful if they have a mental illness. They think it shows personal weakness. They think it shows a failing. If it’s their children who have mental illness, they think it reflects their failure as parents.” This self-inflicted stigma can make it difficult for people to speak about even their own mental health problems. According to neuroscientist  Sarah Caddick , this is because when someone points to his wrist to tell you it’s broken, you can easily understand the problem, but that’s not the case when the issue is with the three-pound mass hidden inside someone’s skull. “The minute you start talking about your mind, people get very anxious, because we associate that with being who we are, fundamentally with ‘us’ — us as a person, us as an individual, our thoughts, our fears, our hopes, our aspirations, our everything.” Says mental health care advocate  Vikram Patel , “Feeling miserable could in fact be seen as part of you or an extension of your social world, and applying a biomedical label is not always something that everyone with depression, for example, is comfortable with.” Banishing the stigma attached to mental health issues can go a long way to facilitating genuinely useful conversations.

Avoid correlations between criminality and mental illness

People are too quick to dole out judgments on people who experience mental health problems, grouping them together when isolated incidents of violence or crime occur. Says  Caddick , “You get a major incident like Columbine or Virginia Tech and then the media asks, ‘Why didn’t people know that he was bipolar?’ ‘Was he schizophrenic?’ From there, some people think, ‘Well, everybody with bipolar disease is likely to go out and shoot down a whole bunch of people in a school,’ or, ‘People who are schizophrenics shouldn’t be out on the street.’”  Solomon  agrees that this correlation works against a productive conversation about mental health: “The tendency to connect people’s crimes to mental illness diagnoses that are not in fact associated with criminality needs to go away. ‘This person murdered everyone because he was depressed.’ You think, yes, you could sort of indicate here this person was depressed and he murdered everyone, but most people who are depressed do not murder everyone.”

But do correlate more between mental illness and suicide

According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), 90 percent of people who die by suicide have depression or other mental disorders, or substance-abuse disorders in conjunction with other mental disorders. Yet we don’t give this link its due. Says  Solomon , “Just as the association between mental illness and crime is too strong, the connection between mental illness and suicide is too weak. So I feel like what I constantly read in the articles is that ‘so-and-so killed himself because his business had gone bankrupt and his wife had left him.’ And I think, okay, those were the triggering circumstances, but he killed himself because he suffered from a mental illness that drove him to kill himself. He was terribly depressed.”

Avoid words like “crazy” or “psycho”

Not surprisingly, nearly all the mental health experts we consulted were quick to decry playground slang like “mental,” “schizo,” “crazy,” “loonie,” or “nutter,” stigmatizing words that become embedded in people’s minds from a young age. NIMH Director  Thomas Insel  takes that one step further — he doesn’t like the category of “mental health problems” in general. He says, “Should we call cancer a ‘cell cycle problem’? Calling serious mental illness a ‘behavioral health problem’ is like calling cancer a ‘pain problem.’” Comedian  Ruby Wax , however, has a different point of view: “I call people that are mentally disturbed, you know, I say they’re crazy. I think in the right tone, that’s not the problem. Let’s not get caught in the minutiae of it.”

If you feel comfortable talking about your own experience with mental health, by all means, do so

Self-advocacy can be very powerful. It reaches people who are going through similar experiences as well as the general public.  Solomon  believes that people equipped to share their experiences should do so: “The most moving letter I ever received in a way was one that was only a sentence long, and it came from someone who didn’t sign his name. He just wrote me a postcard and said, ‘I was going to kill myself, but I read your book and changed my mind.’ And really, I thought, okay, if nobody else ever reads anything I’ve written, I’ve done some good in the world. It’s very important just to keep writing about these things, because I think there’s a trickle-down effect, and that the vocabulary that goes into serious books actually makes its way into the common experience — at least a little bit of it does — and makes it easier to talk about all of these things.”  Solomon ,  Wax , as well as  Temple Grandin , below, have all become public figures for mental health advocacy through sharing their own experiences.

Don’t define a person by his/her mental illnesses

Just as a tumor need not define a person, the same goes for mental illness. Although the line between mental health and the “rest” of a person is somewhat blurry, experts say the distinction is necessary. Says  Insel : “We need to talk about mental disorders the way we talk about other medical disorders. We generally don’t let having a medical illness define a person’s identity, yet we are very cautious about revealing mental illness because it will somehow define a person’s competence or even suggest dangerousness.”  Caddick  agrees: “There’s a lot of things that go on in the brain, and just because one thing goes wrong doesn’t mean that everything’s going wrong.”

Separate the person from the problem

Continuing from the last,  Insel  and  Patel  both recommend avoiding language that identifies people only by their mental health problems. Says  Insel , speak of “someone with schizophrenia,” not “the schizophrenic.” (Although, he points out, people with autism do often ask to be referred to as “autistic.”) Making this distinction clear, says  Patel , honors and respects the individual. “What you’re really saying is, this is something that’s not part of a person; it’s something the person is suffering from or is living with, and it’s a different thing from the person.”

Sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re using the wrong words, but that we’re not talking at all

Sometimes it just starts with speaking up. In  Solomon’s  words: “Wittgenstein said, ‘All I know is what I have words for.’ And I think that if you don’t have the words for it, you can’t explain to somebody else what your need is. To some degree, you can’t even explain to yourself what your need is. And so you can’t get better.” But, as suicide prevention advocate  Chris Le  knows well, there are challenges to talking about suicide and depression. Organizations aiming to raise awareness about depression and suicide have to wrangle with suicide contagion, or copycat suicides that can be sparked by media attention, especially in young people. Le, though, feels strongly that promoting dialogue ultimately helps. One simple solution, he says, is to keep it personal: “Reach out to your friends. If you’re down, talk to somebody, because remember that one time that your friend was down, and you talked to them, and they felt a little better? So reach out, support people, talk about your emotions and get comfortable with them.”

Recognize the amazing contributions of people with mental health differences

Says autism activist  Temple Grandin : “If it weren’t for a little bit of autism, we wouldn’t have any phones to talk on.” She describes the tech community as filled with autistic pioneers. “Einstein definitely was; he had no language until age three. How about Steve Jobs? I’ll only mention the dead ones by name. The live ones, you’ll have to look them up on the Internet.” Of depression, Grandin says: “The organizations involved with depression need to be emphasizing how many really creative people, people whose books we love, whose movies we love, their arts, have had a lot of problems with depression. See, a little bit of those genetics makes you sensitive, makes you emotional, makes you sensitive — and that makes you creative in a certain way.”

Humor helps

Humor, some say, is the best medicine for your brain. Says comedian  Wax : “If you surround [your message] with comedy, you have an entrée into their psyche. People love novelty, so for me it’s sort of foreplay: I’m softening them up, and then you can deliver as dark as you want. But if you whine, if you whine about being a woman or being black, good luck. Everybody smells it. But it’s true. People are liberated by laughing at themselves.”

Featured illustration via iStockphoto.

About the author

Thu-Huong Ha is a freelance writer. Previously she was the books and culture reporter for Quartz and the context editor at TED. Her writing has also appeared on Slate and in The New York Times Book Review. Her debut novel, Hail Caesar, was published in 2007 by PUSH, a YA imprint of Scholastic, and was named an NYPL Book for the Teen Age. Follow her at twitter.com/thu

• Andrew Solomon
• Editor's picks
• How should we talk about?
• mental health
• mental illness
• questions worth asking
• Sarah Caddick
• Temple Grandin
• Thomas Insel
• Vikram Patel

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Speeches > Carl L. Hanson > Something About Mental Health

Something About Mental Health

Carl l. hanson.

BYU Professor of Public Health

July 26, 2022

I kind of like listening to country music occasionally. Some members of my family believe there are only two types of music: country and western. The other day I was cruising home from work, and a country song by Keith Urban called “Say Something” came on. Basically, the song reminds us that our words have power and encourages us to say something.

That song helped motivate me—a public health guy—to say something about mental health. My interest in mental health as a public health issue began when I was young. I grew up in a law enforcement family, and my late father was a captain in the Oregon State Police Department. Throughout his career, he responded to countless situations related to mental health issues, including substance abuse disorders. Even when he was off duty it was difficult for him to get away from these situations. While it may not have been in best practice, I have childhood memories of being in the back seat of the family station wagon as it took off in hot pursuit of drivers under the influence. Experiences such as these later caused me to wonder about the root causes of mental health issues.

I tried my hand at law enforcement, but my attempt was short-lived. My six-foot-two, 150-pound frame didn’t quite match my father’s six-foot-four, 250-pound frame. I was pretty scrawny. So I chose to come to BYU after a mission, pursue my goals as a student athlete, and study psychology.

Now, getting a job with an undergraduate degree in psychology? That was a bit tougher. Since I still had athletic eligibility to compete another year after I had graduated, I consulted with beloved BYU mentor and track coach Sherald James, who was also teaching classes in the Department of Health Science at the time. As a consummate builder and lifter of people, he encouraged me to combine my interest in psychology with a master’s degree in health science while using my last year of athletic eligibility.

Well, the rest is history. I worked through the BYU master’s program, completed a mental-health related thesis, published my first academic paper on mind/body health, and went on for a PhD.

My purpose today is to encourage us all to “say something” and “know something” more about mental health so that we can all “be something” more and achieve optimal mental health.

Say Something

To say something about mental health, we need to first say something about mental illness. The terms mental illness and mental health are often used interchangeably. Mental illness, also known as mental disorder, refers to “any condition characterized by cognitive and emotional disturbances, abnormal behaviors, impaired functioning, or any combination of these.” 1 There aren’t medical tests for mental illnesses like there are for physical illnesses such as diabetes and cancer. Trained mental health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) to make a diagnosis. These tools identify various symptoms that, if experienced over time, indicate a mental disorder. Having open conversations about mental illness can help reduce the stigma or negative perceptions applied to individuals who struggle with mental illness.

Individuals with mental illness are not alone in their condition. Epidemiological data from public health statistics show that in the United States, one in five adults aged eighteen or older report having a mental illness, and more than 5 percent of adults in that age group report that it was serious enough to disrupt major life events. 2 Three-fourths of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by the age of twenty-four, 3 making the traditional college years a particularly vulnerable time—and the situation is getting worse. Symptoms of depression among college students in the U.S. increased 135 percent in the last nine years. 4 Major depression—one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S.—is highest among young adults aged eighteen to twenty-five. 5 Similarly, the number of U.S. college students with symptoms of anxiety increased by 110 percent. 6

Are BYU students immune from these disorders? National data on young adult major depression closely aligns with the burden of this illness among BYU students. According to research conducted on campus by my colleagues and me, one out of five students (20 percent) reported experiencing clinical depression, with nearly one out of three (32 percent) experiencing moderately severe or severe anxiety. 7

Individuals living with mental illness need treatment services. However, more than half of adults with mental illnesses in the U.S. receive no treatment. 8 There are likely two reasons for this: (1) a lack of access to mental healthcare due to lack of insurance, fewer provider options, and cost of care 9 and (2) a personal choice not to utilize available services because of the stigma related to obtaining treatment. 10 We still have much to do to increase access to care and to reduce the stigma so that seeking treatment for these disorders is as normal as seeking treatment for physical health conditions. We must also be careful not to contribute to the stigma, especially since we tend to unfairly link violence with mental illness. While it is estimated that one in every five police calls involves some type of mental health or substance abuse crisis, 11 most violent crime in this country is not committed by individuals with mental illness. 12

Although suicide itself is not a mental disorder, mental disorders are one of the most prevalent causes of suicide. A total of 60 percent of individuals who die by suicide have a mental illness such as major depression. 13 Recent statistics found that Utah averages 657 suicides a year and had the sixth-highest suicide rate in the U.S. in 2019. 14 Think about that for a minute. I recently flew on a regional passenger jet that held seventy-five people. The number of people who die from suicide each year in Utah is equivalent to nearly nine of those planes crashing every year in this state! That would make headlines. In Utah, suicide is the leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults. 15 Suicidal ideation in college students has increased 64 percent since 2013. 16

For those in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, help is immediately available through several incredible resources. As of July 16 of this year, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be accessed 24/7 in every U.S. state by dialing 988. Additionally, the state of Utah offers the SafeUT app, which provides real-time crisis intervention for students, parents, guardians, and educators through a live chat and confidential tip line. BYU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers some of the best psychological services in the country, with more than thirty-two full-time counselors who stand ready to assist students in crisis with no appointment needed. You can walk in during business hours or reach a trained professional after hours. We can all do our part to prevent suicide by becoming QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) trained. Offered on campus through CAPS, this hour-long best practice training helps you recognize the signs and symptoms of suicidal thoughts and understand how to help someone who is struggling.

Now, mental illness is not the same thing as mental health: “Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.” 17 It is a state of well-being that allows for positive human development and for becoming our best selves. For Aristotle and the ancient Greeks, a state of well-being was referred to as “wisdom” and was rooted in the idea of eudaimonia—living life well and consistent with one’s values. 18 Modern psychologists discuss well-being—or optimal mental health—slightly differently, depending on their perspectives. For example, humanist psychologists such as Abraham H. Maslow refer to this state of well-being as “self-actualization.” 19 Positive psychologists such as researcher Corey L. M. Keyes refer to it as “flourishing.” 20 Flourishing is the notion that individuals achieve higher levels of well-being by focusing not only on eudaemonic components such as developing meaning, purpose, and strong relationships in life but also on hedonic components such as experiencing positive emotions. Flourishing is a state of optimal mental health, and “people who flourish not only feel good but also do good: they experience positive emotions regularly, excel in their daily lives, and contribute to the world around them in constructive ways.” 21

Interestingly, Dr. Keyes noticed that many individuals who were not flourishing lacked a mental illness diagnosis. 22 He called this state of poor mental well-being without a mental illness diagnosis “languishing” 23 and found that these individuals tended to lack a sense of purpose and struggled to enjoy life’s simple pleasures or to be positive about life. They tended to experience a general feeling of “blah.” These findings helped change our assumption that mental health was simply the opposite or absence of mental illness. It is not! Mental health is not simply the opposite of mental illness. Dr. Keyes helped us realize that mental health exists on its own continuum, and we can flourish and achieve optimal mental health or languish in poor mental health whether we have been diagnosed with a mental disorder or not. 24 I would like to emphasize that: we can achieve optimal mental health and flourish whether we have been diagnosed with a mental disorder or not. This should be empowering to all of us.

The idea of languishing may sound a bit familiar and could explain many people’s personal experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic we were exposed to endless sources of information and misinformation, which often heightened our anxieties. The World Health Organization (WHO) referred to this phenomenon as an “infodemic.” 25 In addition, our regular routines were impacted as we were socially distanced, isolated from each other, quarantined, and forced into online learning. Many of us also lost jobs or mourned for those who had died from the virus. Over time, the cumulative effects of the pandemic may have left you feeling emotionally fatigued or just blah! But why should we worry about languishing? Because individuals who languish are significantly more likely to develop a mental illness. 26

Know Something

Saying something isn’t always enough. Knowing something more about the root causes of mental health challenges is critical to developing solutions and achieving optimal mental health.

One thing to know at the outset is that mental illnesses are not the result of sin. During the Savior’s ministry, His disciples wondered about the affliction of a particular blind man. They asked:

Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 27

It is a mistake to equate mental illness with sin.

Indeed, the root causes of mental health challenges, whether mental illness or languishing, are complex. In a 2015 study, Andrea K. Wittenborn and her colleagues reviewed the literature on the root causes of major depression and used a systems-thinking perspective to illustrate the complex interaction between the biological, environmental, behavioral, and social factors that contribute to the illness. Their causal loop diagram shows almost fifty different steps that loop around to different pathways and lead to different behaviors and effects. Their detailed diagram speaks to the complexity of mental health challenges. 28

To make sense of the complexity, root causes for mental health challenges are often organized into risk and protective factor frameworks that practitioners then use to address the challenges. Risk factors increase the likelihood of an individual experiencing the problem. Protective factors mitigate risk and are often simply the opposite of the risk factor. For example, if having very few friends is a risk factor, then having good peer relationships is a protective one. Risk and protective factors are distinct across ecological levels. This is because our thoughts, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the environments in which we associate. Ecological levels in which individuals are nested include peer groups, families, communities, and institutions such as school and work.

Some of the more common risk and protective factor frameworks have been developed by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 30 and the American Mental Wellness Association. 31 Using work my colleagues and I have done here at BYU, I would like to highlight a few of these risk factors, including perfectionism, life stressors, poor coping skills, adverse childhood experiences, and bullying.

One particularly concerning risk factor for college students, especially students here, is having a perfectionistic attitude. Perfectionism is refusing to accept any standard less than flawless. Using the multidimensional perfectionism scale, 32 we asked BYU students how they felt about several statements, including “If someone does a task at school better than me, then I feel like I failed at the whole task”; “The fewer mistakes I make, the more people will like me”; and “Other people seem to accept lower standards from themselves than I do.” The highest possible score for perfectionism using this scale is 40, and our findings revealed that the average score for BYU students was 27! Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between perfectionism scores and mental health outcomes. For example, a perfectionism score of 30 was associated with symptoms of clinical depression and clinical anxiety among students, and we found that depression and anxiety increase as perfectionism scores increase. 33

An additional risk factor associated with mental health challenges is our exposure to stressors at each ecological level and our ability to deal with those stressors. “Stress,” as defined many years ago by Hans Selye, “is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it.” 34 Stressors are those demands that trigger an automatic physiological fight or flight response, which feels like someone just stepped on your internal gas pedal. Because our bodies strive for balance or homeostasis, a part of our nervous system acts as the brake pedal to bring our body systems back to normal when the threat subsides. However, what happens when exposure to stressors continues over time—or, maybe even worse, when we anticipate and worry about stressors even when there is no immediate danger? Robert M. Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, noted that “when we consider ourselves and our human propensity to worry ourselves sick, we have to expand on the notion of stressors merely being things that knock you out of homeostatic balance.” 35

The stressors we face are significantly different than those that zebras face. Not only do our stressors lead us to develop ulcers, but they are also the root cause of many other physical and mental disorders. A growing body of research is recognizing the power that chronic stressors have to disrupt the immune system, causing inflammation throughout the body that can lead to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, and depression. 36 Chronic stressors include poverty, neighborhood violence, or environmental changes as well as everyday hassles. Stressors can also involve early life stressors such as adverse childhood experiences or trauma. While a certain level of stress can be beneficial, enhancing immune function 37 and improving performance, 38 the accumulation of chronic stressors and traumatic life events lead to what researchers refer to as allostatic load, 39 or wear and tear on the body and the mind.

My colleagues and I asked BYU students what stressful life events they have been exposed to during the past year. The options ranged from daily hassles such as getting a speeding ticket to more serious stressors such as the death of a parent or a close friend. In our analysis, more serious stressors were weighted higher than daily hassles. For BYU students, the most common stressors were an increase in workload at school, a change in social relationships, and a change in eating habits. Interestingly, BYU students with the highest number of stressful events were freshmen, married students, and students in committed relationships. These groups of students may need extra support in managing stressors. In our findings with perfectionism, there exists a correlation between a high number of stressful life events students were exposed to and elevated symptoms of clinical depression and anxiety. 40

We have also studied the impact of early life experiences on mental health outcomes among college students. Our results showed that the more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) college students have been exposed to, the more likely students are to have difficulties coping with stress, to be languishing, and to experience depression and anxiety symptoms. 41 ACEs include abuse, neglect, and household challenges such as substance abuse, mental illness, suicidal thoughts and behavior, divorce, incarceration, and domestic violence. Being exposed to these stressors as children impacts our mental health and physical health later in life. As a result, we should do all in our power to prevent children’s exposure to trauma. In a general conference address, Elder Patrick Kearon stated that “there is no place for any kind of abuse—physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal—in any home, any country, or any culture.” 42

If you are now worrying about the ACEs in your life, there is more to this story. In our study we also found that students exposed to positive childhood experiences (PCEs) were protected against depression and anxiety symptoms later in life, even when they had also been exposed to ACEs. We found that PCEs lead to an increased ability to cope with stressors, increased flourishing, and ultimately better mental health. Positive childhood experiences include having one good childhood friend, having good neighbors, enjoying school, having regular family meals, and having beliefs that give comfort. Our study demonstrates that while ACEs can weaken college students’ ability to cope, PCEs can increase resilience, promote flourishing, and ultimately reduce symptoms of mental illness. 43

Through the multidisciplinary Computational Health Science Research Lab at BYU, my colleagues and I recently explored the impact of hundreds of possible risk factors on adolescent mental health. Using a machine learning approach to analyze the risk-factor data of some 179,000 high school students in Utah across all ecological levels, we were able to predict with 91 percent accuracy suicidal thought and behavior among this adolescent population. 44 Our findings revealed that the most highly associated risk factors with suicidal thought and behavior were

(1) being threatened or harassed through social media,

(2) being bullied on school grounds,

(3) being in a family that has serious arguments,

(4) being in a family that argues regularly, and

(5) being in a family that frequently insults and yells. 45

Additional interesting findings include the fact that suicidal thought and behavior increased with age (sixth grade through twelfth grade), was more common among females, and was 73 percent more likely if there was not a father in the home. 46 The major findings of this study speak not only to the incredible negative impact that our relationships can have on our mental health but also to the potential positive and protective impact our relationships can have on our mental health.

Our findings from these studies and others are contributing to a growing body of literature on the many risk and protective factors related to mental health. Much of this work points to the powerful influence of our experiences and our interactions with others in settings such as home, school, and communities.

Be Something

Saying something and knowing something about mental health isn’t always enough. To achieve optimal mental health—to be our best selves and to flourish—we must “be something” as well. Because many of the risk and protective factors associated with mental health are addressed by living a wellness lifestyle in an environmental context that supports wellness, I invite us all to be something more by being “wellness wise,” 47 personally and institutionally.

Being wellness wise is an idea hatched here at BYU. It means we recognize that wellness is a personal opportunity and an institutional responsibility. It also means we recognize that wellness is embedded in the very fabric of the mission of this institution. From our mission statement, you might recall that BYU exists “to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life” with the expectation that “all instruction, programs, and services at BYU, including a wide variety of extracurricular experiences, should make their own contribution toward the balanced development of the total person” in order that “such a broadly prepared individual will not only be capable of meeting personal challenge and change but will also bring strength to others in the tasks of home and family life, social relationships, civic duty, and service to mankind.” 48 If we look at it closely, we see that our mission statement makes wellness—and thus optimal mental health—everyone’s business!

Whole-Person Opportunity

Dr. Barbara D. Lockhart and Dr. Ronald L. Hager from the BYU Department of Exercise Science have defined wellness as “a dynamic state of our being characterized by the balance and integration of our whole physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social self.” 49 There are many other definitions of wellness, but Dr. Lockhart and Dr. Hager essentially speak to a personal, active pursuit of a balanced lifestyle. This is what makes wellness a personal or whole-person opportunity. The ideas of active pursuit and balance are referenced in two parts of the BYU mission: the “quest for perfection and eternal life” and “the balanced development of the total person.”

Focus on the Quest

When we consider the “quest for perfection and eternal life,” I know that sometimes the word perfection can freak us out a bit. We learned today that many students on campus are focused too much on perfection, which is associated with greater mental health challenges. Being wellness wise means that rather than focusing on achieving perfection in the here and now, we will focus on the quest for perfection and eternal life. The quest, the pursuit, or the journey toward perfection is about striving and growing to be our best possible selves. It is about knowing that during this quest, we are going to experience challenges, setbacks, and possibly even failure on occasion—no matter how righteous we think we are or how perfectly we live the gospel. President Kevin J Worthen has said:

Failing is an essential part of the mortal phase of our quest for perfection. We don’t often think of it that way, but that is only because we tend to focus too much on the word perfection and not enough on the word quest when we read the mission statement. Failure is an inevitable part of the quest. In our quest for perfection, how we respond when we fail will ultimately determine how well we will succeed. 50

Being a runner, I love the recent success story of freshman Sebastian Fernandez, who came to BYU last fall after having some success as a middle-distance runner in high school. He tried out for the BYU track team in hopes of being a walk-on but ultimately didn’t make the team. Sebastian didn’t let this failure derail his goals. He continued to train with the so-called farm team, a group of other BYU track and field student athletes who weren’t ready for the competition team.

Sebastian commented, “Having that experience of failure helped me realize that nothing is going to be given to me. I have to work hard to earn everything.” 51

By focusing on the quest and having a never-give-up attitude in the face of failure, Sebastian not only made the team this past spring but also broke the all-time facility record at the Robison Track and Field Complex by running the 800-meter race in one minute and forty-seven seconds. That mark ranked fifth on the all-time list here at BYU, propelling Sebastian into the regional meet, in which he qualified for nationals.

Did I mention that he was a freshman who didn’t make the team last fall as a walk-on? Sebastian is a great example of one who stayed focused on the quest.

Focus on Balance and Growth

Consider the phrase “the balanced development of the total person” in BYU’s mission statement. This refers to the even distribution of our efforts to grow in each of the areas that make up the total person. Several years ago, I lost one of the balancing weights on the wheel of my vehicle on my way into work. It made for a very bumpy ride that day. Similarly, if we neglect or exaggerate any of the important domain areas that make us whole and well, we will be out of balance, and our ride through life will be bumpier.

Some of the areas that make up the total person should be familiar to you, as they are the foundation of the Children and Youth program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are based on the scriptural statement “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” 52 Surely these important areas of intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social growth should be pursued throughout our lives, not just during our youth. Being wellness wise as individuals means we continue striving for balanced growth and development in these important areas throughout our lives. Because they are very important to college student wellness, emotional and financial wellness are also considered part of being wellness wise at BYU. These six wellness-wise domain areas are not mutually exclusive; they overlap as important parts of the whole person. But viewing and discussing them separately provides a way for each of us to evaluate how balanced we are and where we might need to improve. Let’s consider each of these six important domain areas and what BYU Wellness Wise professionals recommend:

1. Spiritual . Spiritual wellness means we believe in Heavenly Father, connect with Him, and live our lives in a way that bring us closer to Him. W. Justin Dyer, a BYU associate professor of Church history and doctrine and wellness-wise pro, reminds us that the Lord has said, “Be still, and know that I am God” and “The Lord of hosts is with us.” 53

First, Dr. Dyer recommends that you believe God loves you and can lift you higher. Dr. Dyer also encourages you to remember that God loves you through your struggles and will help you take steps forward.

Second, find moments and methods to feel God’s love. Our busy schedules tend to push us away from quiet moments, but Dr. Dyer notes that quiet moments are essential for us to feel connected with God. If you are struggling to feel the connection, try something new, such as searching the scriptures and words of the prophets for ways that allow you to better feel God’s love.

Third, dive into your religious community in order to show your love for God and for your neighbor as well as to receive and give much-needed support. If you are struggling to connect in your ward, Dr. Dyer pleads that you do not give up. Seek ways to uplift others in your ward; your unique gifts are needed.

2. Social . Social wellness means we establish positive relationships with others. Having a strong social support system is important for emotional wellness because it can help us cope with and bounce back from challenges. Angela Blomquist, director of the Student Connection and Leadership Center and wellness-wise pro, notes that we are all social by nature.

First, she recommends that you create lasting connections by participating in events, activities, and programs in the campus community. She notes that volunteering is also a great way to gain a higher sense of purpose, build social skills, and increase self-esteem.

Second, foster belonging by embracing diversity, ensuring equity, and practicing inclusion. Angela promises that as you do so, hearts and minds will be enriched.

Third, cultivate communication skills to become a better friend, student, employee, and leader. This may require limiting digital communication and prioritizing face-to-face conversation in which effective communication and active listening can be practiced.

3. Physical . Physical wellness means we balance sleep, physical activity, and nutrition and also practice safe behaviors. Nathan M. Ormsby, director of BYU Student Wellness and wellness-wise pro, loves this President Ezra Taft Benson quote: “With good health, all other activities of life are greatly enhanced.” 54

First, Nathan recommends that you exercise routinely. The benefits of exercise are indisputable, and he says the key to sticking to an exercise routine is simply finding an activity you like to do.

Second, prioritize sleep. Your body craves a regular routine when it comes to sleep. Striving for eight hours of sleep a night is a good goal—but staying up until 3 a.m. and sleeping until noon will leave the body unprepared for bed by 10 p.m. the next night. Routine sleep is necessary for mental function and mental health.

Third, eat well. The body likes regularly eating healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains. Healthy foods support brain function, body function, and mental health.

4. Intellectual . Intellectual wellness means we expand our knowledge, skills, and creative abilities. Chip Oscarson, associate dean of undergraduate education and wellness-wise pro, believes that the more we learn, the more we see the connections between the sacred and the secular. Dr. Oscarson has several tips for intellectual wellness.

First, be curious. Do not limit your education by memorizing facts and solely focusing on a profession or material gain. Curiosity is the active part of our learning that demands our agency.

Second, be a good listener and humbly withhold judgment. Truth may be more expansive than what we currently imagine.

Third, ask good questions. Good questions can help you understand truth in more than one dimension.

Fourth, Dr. Oscarson recommends that you discern with the Spirit. The Spirit is given to help us stay balanced and understand how all truth fits together.

5. Financial . Financial wellness means we properly manage our monetary assets. Failure to manage these assets can be a large source of stress. Paul R. Conrad, manager of the BYU Financial Fitness Center and wellness-wise pro, has warned that sustained financial distress may cause us to feel anxious, helpless, and vulnerable. Learning to wisely manage financial resources creates feelings of confidence and peace. Paul has several tips for financial wellness.

First, consider your blessings. You can make yourself miserable when you compare your life with the lives of others. Considering your blessings can help you avoid the feelings of envy, jealousy, and bitterness that lead to discouragement and hopelessness.

Second, find a budgeting method that works for you. Using time while at the university to test, adopt, and refine a budgeting method will help you be more intentional and confident in your spending.

Third, find ways to meet your needs less expensively by aligning your spending with your values and goals. Doing so will help you gain a greater sense of purpose and control.

Fourth, plan for the unexpected. Even small, unexpected problems can be disruptive and stressful. Planning can help you prevent stress and avoid expensive credit-card charges.

6. Emotional . Emotional wellness means we can cope with both positive and negative emotions while learning and growing from emotional experiences. Klint Hobbs, counselor for CAPS and wellness-wise pro, reminds us that “emotions are interwoven with every aspect of wellness, and managing our emotions effectively enables us to be healthy, kind, and compassionate.”

First, be compassionate with yourself, see yourself as a work in progress, and resist the urge to feel threatened when you don’t do as well as you wanted to in school or in other activities. Dr. Hobbs recommends giving yourself the same grace you would give to a good friend who might be struggling.

Second, avoid putting off difficult tasks or things that make you anxious. For example, you may have a tendency to avoid responsibilities by binge-watching episodes of your favorite TV series. This avoidant behavior may bring temporary relief, but leaning into whatever is making you anxious can cause anxiety to go away.

Third, connect with others. This social well-being skill can reduce mental health challenges and improve self-esteem. Sacrificing social time, even for academics, puts mental health at risk.

Fourth, seek balance and avoid going to extremes, even in positive activities. Dr. Hobbs points out that salad is good for you, but if you only ever ate salad, your body would be missing out on vital nutrients from other foods. Similarly, if all you ever do is study with no breaks for other activities you enjoy, you are headed for burnout.

Truthfully, it may be difficult to balance these domains every single day. There will be times when we need to focus on one domain at the exclusion of another—such as during finals week, when we are highly focused on the intellectual domain; during the Sabbath, when we have more church obligations; or during a challenging time in the family, when we are focused on the social and emotional areas. Our goal should be to seek balance over the long haul.

Being wellness wise means we focus on the quest for perfection rather than on perfection itself. It also means we focus on balance and growth in each of the wellness-wise domain areas. As we become wellness wise by embracing wellness as a whole-person opportunity, we “will not only be capable of meeting personal challenge and change but will also bring strength to others in the tasks of home and family life, social relationships, civic duty, and service to mankind.” The phrase “meeting personal challenge and change” speaks to our ability to be resilient when facing the difficulties that will surely come our way in life, and the phrase “bring strength to others” speaks to our becoming self-actualized, becoming our best self, achieving optimal mental health, and even flourishing.

Whole-Campus Responsibility

Finally, being wellness wise means we not only recognize wellness as a whole-person opportunity but also as a whole-campus responsibility. Because we “know something” about the powerful influence that our experiences and environment can have on us individually, we recognize the need for BYU as an institution to focus on a system-wide approach that will influence the conditions in which all may flourish and achieve optimal mental health. Consider the part of the BYU mission that states, “All instruction, programs, and services at BYU, including a wide variety of extracurricular experiences, should make their own contribution toward the balanced development of the total person.” This means that no BYU faculty member, staff member, administrator, or student is excluded from the responsibility of assisting individuals in their balanced development.

Taking this responsibility seriously, a group of BYU staff, administrators, faculty, and students have joined together under the leadership of former CAPS director Steve Smith and Student Life vice president Julie Franklin. Known as the BYU Wellness Wise Coalition, this group exists to break down campus silos and cultivate campus-wide collaborations and initiatives that advance wellness for all campus community members. The word silo is commonly used on farms to describe large storage containers for grain or cattle food. In public health and healthcare, the term silo is often used as a metaphor for teams of people that just don’t work together. The BYU Wellness Wise Coalition exists to ensure that we are a whole campus and that we collaborate to advance wellness for all.

We have such wonderful opportunities and responsibilities before us. It is time for us to “say something” and “know something” more about mental health so that we can “be something” more and achieve optimal mental health. Saying something more can help reduce the mental health stigma and promote the idea that optimal mental health and flourishing is accessible to everyone. Knowing something more can help us understand the risk and protective factors for mental health challenges that can be addressed both personally and institutionally. Being something more by being wellness wise both personally and institutionally provides a framework for taking the actions that will move us all toward optimal mental health. Saying something, knowing something, and being something more—that is “something about mental health.” Thank you.

© Brigham Young University. All rights reserved. 

1. APA Dictionary of Psychology, American Psychological Association, s.v. “mental disorder,” dictionary.apa.org/mental-disorder.

2. See Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Rockville, Maryland: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2021), 32.

3. See Ronald C. Kessler, Patricia Berglund, Olga Demler, Robert Jin, Kathleen R. Merikangas, and Ellen E. Walters, “Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication,” Archives of General Psychiatry 62, no. 6 (June 2005): 593.

4. See Sarah Ketchen Lipson, Sasha Zhou, Sara Abelson, Justin Heinze, Matthew Jirsa, Jasmine Morigney, Akilah Patterson, Meghna Singh, and Daniel Eisenberg, “Trends in College Student Mental Health and Help-Seeking by Race/Ethnicity: Findings from the National Healthy Minds Study, 2013–2021,” Journal of Affective Disorders 306 (1 June 2022): 143.

5. See Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators,  31.

6. See Lipson et al., “Trends in College Student Mental Health,” 143.

7. See Carl L. Hanson, Brianna M. Magnusson, Alice Ann Crandall, and Michael D. Barnes, “The Mental Health of BYU Students: A University Report,” BYU Department of Public Health, 2020, 4.

8. See Maddy Reinert, Danielle Fritze, and Theresa Nguyen, The State of Mental Health in America 2023 (Alexandria, Virginia: Mental Health America [MHA], 2022), 8, 21.

9. See Reinert, Fritze, and Nguyen, State of Mental Health in America 2023, 8, 22, 27, 29.

10. See Nathaniel Beers and Shashank V. Joshi, “Increasing Access to Mental Health Services Through Reduction of Stigma,” Commentaries, Pediatrics 145, no. 6 (June 2020), publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/6/e20200127/76911 .

11. See Ashley Abramson, “Building Mental Health into Emergency Responses,” News, Monitor on Psychology 52, no. 5 (July/August 2021): 30, apa.org/monitor/2021/07/emergency-responses ; see also Eric Westervelt, “Mental Health and Police Violence: How Crisis Intervention Teams Are Failing,” National Public Radio (NPR), 18 September 2020, npr.org/2020/09/18/913229469/mental-health-and-police-violence-how-crisis -intervention-teams-are-failing ; see also audio and transcript from All Things Considered, NPR, 18 September 2020, npr.org/transcripts/913229469 .

12. See Jeffrey W. Swanson, “Introduction: Violence and Mental Illness,” Harvard Review of Psychiatry 29, no. 1 (January/February 2021): 1; see also Mass Violence in America: Causes, Impacts, and Solutions, ed. Joe Parks, Donald Bechtold, Frank Shelp, Jeffery Lieberman, and Sara Coffey (Washington, DC: National Council for Mental Wellbeing [NCMW] and Medical Director Institute [MDI], August 2019), v–vi, 12–14.

13. See “Does Depression Increase the Risk for Suicide?” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Mental Health and Substance Abuse, hhs.gov/answers/mental-health-and-substance-abuse/does-depression-increase-risk-of-suicide/index.html.

14. See “Complete Health Indicator Report of Suicide,” Utah Department of Health, Indicator-Based Information System (IBIS) for Public Health, 2021, ibis.health.utah.gov/ibisph-view/indicator/complete_profile/SuicDth.html .

15. See “Complete Health Indicator Report of Suicide.”

16. See Lipson et al., “Trends in College Student Mental Health,” 141.

17. “Mental Health,” World Health Organization (WHO), fact sheet, 17 June 2022, who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response .

18. See Daniel N. Robinson, “Wisdom Through the Ages,” in Wisdom: Its Nature, Origins, and Development, ed. Robert J. Sternberg (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990), 16–17.

19. See Abraham H. Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Psychological Review 50, no. 4 (July 1943): 382–83.

20. See Corey L. M. Keyes, “The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life,” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 43, no. 2 (June 2002): 207–22.

21. Lahnna I. Catalino and Barbara L. Fredrickson, “A Tuesday in the Life of a Flourisher: The Role of Positive Emotional Reactivity in Optimal Mental Health,” Emotion 11, no. 4 (August 2011): 938; citing Corey L. M. Keyes, “Promoting and Protecting Mental Health as Flourishing: A Complementary Strategy for Improving National Mental Health,” American Psychologist 62, no. 2 (February–March 2007): 95–108.

22. See Corey L. M. Keyes, “Mental Illness and/or Mental Health? Investigating Axioms of the Complete State Model of Health,” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 73, no. 3 (June 2005): 539–48.

23. See Keyes, “The Mental Health Continuum” (2002); Keyes, “Mental Illness and/or Mental Health?” (2005); “Promoting and Protecting Mental Health as Flourishing” (2007).

24. See Keyes, “The Mental Health Continuum” (2002); Keyes, “Mental Illness and/or Mental Health?” (2005).

25. See “Infodemic,” World Health Organization (WHO), Health Topics, who.int/health-topics/infodemic.

26. See Corey L. M. Keyes, Satvinder S. Dhingra, and Eduardo J. Simoes, “Change in Level of Positive Mental Health as a Predictor of Future Risk of Mental Illness,” Mental Health Promotion and Protection, American Journal of Public Health 100, no. 12 (December 2010): 2369.

27. John 9:2–3 .

28. See figure 4 (causal loop diagram of cognitive, social, environmental, and biological dimensions) in Andrea K. Wittenborn, Hazhir Rahmandad, Jennifer L. Rick, and Niyousha Hosseinichimeh, “Depression as a Systemic Syndrome: Mapping the Feedback Loops of Major Depressive Disorder,” Psychological Medicine 46, no. 3 (February 2016): 557.

29. See “Risk and Protective Factors,” Suicide Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cdc.gov/suicide/factors/index.html .

30. See “Risk and Protective Factors,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2019, samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/20190718-samhsa-risk-protective-factors.pdf .

31. See “Risk and Protective Factors,” American Mental Wellness Association, americanmentalwellness.org/prevention/risk-and-protective-factors .

32. See Alexandra M. Burgess, Randy O. Frost, and Patricia Marten DiBartolo, “Development and Validation of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale—Brief,” in “Advances in the Assessment of Perfectionism,” ed. Gordon L. Flett and Paul L. Hewitt, special issue, Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 34, no. 7 (October 2016): 620–33.

33. See Hanson et al., “The Mental Health of BYU Students,” 11; see also Carl L. Hanson, Brianna M. Magnusson, Alice Ann Crandall, Michael D. Barnes, Emily McFarland, and McKaylee Smith, “Life Experience Pathways to College Student Emotional and Mental Health: A Structural Equation Model,” Journal of American College Health (April 2022), doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2058328.

34. Hans Selye, “The Evolution of the Stress Concept: The Originator of the Concept Traces Its Development from the Discovery in 1936 of the Alarm Reaction to Modern Therapeutic Applications of Syntoxic and Catatoxic Hormones,” American Scientist 61, no. 6 (November–December 1973): 692.

35. Robert M. Sapolsky, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, 3rd ed. (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2004), 6.

36. See Yun-Zi Liu, Yun-Xia Wang, and Chun-Lei Jiang, “Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases,” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11 (June 2017), doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316.

37. See Liu, Wang, and Jiang, “Inflammation.”

38. See Charlotte Nickerson, “The Yerkes-Dodson Law and Performance,” Social Psychology, Simply Psychology (15 November 2021), simplypsychology.org/what-is-the-yerkes-dodson-law.html .

39. See Bruce S. McEwen and Eliot Stellar, “Stress and the Individual: Mechanisms Leading to Disease,” Archives of Internal Medicine 153, no. 18 (27 September 1993): 2093–2101.

40. See Hanson et al., “The Mental Health of BYU Students,” 18.

41. See Hanson et al., “Life Experience Pathways”; see also Hanson et al., “The Mental Health of BYU Students,” 12–14.

42. Patrick Kearon, “He Is Risen with Healing in His Wings: We Can Be More Than Conquerors,” Liahona, May 2022.

43. See Hanson et al., “Life Experience Pathways”; see also Hanson et al., “The Mental Health of BYU Students,” 15–16.

44. See Orion Weller, Luke Sagers, Carl Hanson, Michael Barnes, Quinn Snell, and E. Shannon Tass, “Predicting Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior Among Adolescents Using the Risk and Protective Factor Framework: A Large-Scale Machine Learning Approach,” PLOS ONE 16, no. 11 (3 November 2021): 1, doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258535.

45. See Weller et al., “Predicting Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior,” 6.

46. See Weller et al., “Predicting Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior,” 6.

47. For more information on this university-wide wellness education program, see Wellness Wise , Brigham Young University, wellnesswise.byu.edu .

48. The Mission of Brigham Young University (4 November   1981).

49. Barbara Lockhart and Ron Hager, 21st Century Wellness: The Science of the Whole Individual, 2nd ed. (Bearface Instructional Technologies, 2018), 19; emphasis added.

50. Kevin J Worthen, “Successfully Failing: Pursuing Our Quest for Perfection,” BYU devotional address, 6 January 2015; emphasis in original.

51. Sebastian Fernandez, quoted in Sean Walker, “Walk-On to Running for a Title: BYU’s Fernandez Among 21 Bids at NCAA Championships,” ksl.com , 7 June 2022, ksl.com/article/50419089 .

52. Luke 2:52 .

53. Psalm 46:10 ,  11 .

54. Ezra Taft Benson, address delivered at President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second annual Council on Youth Fitness at Fort Ritchie, Cascade, Maryland, 8 September 1958; quoted in Clarence F. Robison, “Keeping Physically Fit,” Ensign, September 1972.

See the complete list of abbreviations here

Carl L. Hanson, a professor in the BYU Department of Public Health, delivered this forum address on July 26, 2022.

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Carson Daly gives heartfelt speech about his mental health journey: Watch now

On Oct. 10, 2023, Carson Daly hosted the inaugural gala for Project Healthy Minds, a non-profit focused on removing the stigma around mental health and helping people access resources. During the night, he gave a speech about his involvement with Project Healthy Minds and his own mental health journey. Below is the TODAY co-host's speech in full.

I do want to give a little context to my relationship to Project Healthy Minds and this whole movement here. I had sort of the privilege of being around when PHM, as we call it, was born. It was actually six years ago this month.

My friend Logic had performed his song at the VMAs in 2017. It was a song about somebody with depression calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. He did it on the VMAs. And I read an article about how just in the hours after the VMAs, the call skyrocketed to the hotline. It was up by 50%.

Right after that, I interviewed Logic and some guy named Phil Schermer (the CEO of Project Health Minds). Thats where they announced during the interview the birth of Project Healthy Minds.

And that’s when I decided that I didn’t just want to help promote them, I wanted to join them. I wanted to help in the fight.

I had my own mental health story to tell. And I said to Phil, "If you ever need me, let me know."

He called me 20 minutes later.

He said, "You're in." Signed me up on the spot, he’s very good at that. And in the three years since, I’ve watched him work his tail off with his group that are all here tonight. They are helping to change the narrative around mental health. That’s the mission of what we’re here to support tonight.

I want to just quickly share a little bit about my mental health story and how I became involved in the community. Before TikTok and Instagram, before Facebook, before all of that, there was "Total Request Live."

"TRL," if you don’t know, was television for a generation. It was where you went to interact with your favorite singers and celebrities. It’s how MTV brought small-town kids the world’s biggest stories. It’s where thousands of screaming teenagers tangled Times Square traffic every single day.

It was a safe space for young people. And I was a safe host. I was basically the babysitter for the latchkey kids of America.

It’s also where, one September day, I thought I was going to die.

I was in my dressing room and I could sense all the normal live buzz of the show before it went on. I could hear the crowd outside. I could hear horns honking, normal "Total Request" chaos, very usual.

Then something very unusual happened to me.

Out of nowhere in my dressing room, I felt what I can describe as a snap in my brain. My heart started to race and fear went through my body. It was like somebody cracked one of those cold compresses at a little league game and put it on my neck. I could see my producer talking to me in the doorway, totally normal expression on his face, saying something about Hanson, probably. I couldn’t hear him. It looked like he was talking in slo-mo. I was literally leaving reality. I thought, my God, I’m having a a stroke in front of Hanson. It passed in 30 seconds, but it felt like 30 minutes.

Somehow I was able to get through it. I did the show on autopilot. You know. Number six, here’s 98 degrees, just did my thing. But the whole time, beneath the surface, I was absolutely terrified that whatever had just happened to me, it could happen again at any moment.

So right after the show, I went to my doctor and I said, "I need help." He ran an entire battery of tests. I said, "Give it to me straight. Am I dying of cancer? What is it?" He was laughing. He said, "You’re 100% physically healthy." Bullshit. There’s no way. I felt my brain snap in the dressing room. 

And he said, "Your real problem is that your life is unmanageable. And what you had was called a panic attack."

I’ve never heard of a panic attack, much less considered it. What was the trigger of this panic attack? Was it Nick Lachey? I don’t know. As it turned out, the panic attack was a symptom. Stress and anxiety were the cause. I needed to slow down. I needed to make my unmanageable life manageable. 

So I fired my manager. Slowing down didn’t do the trick. I kept having panic attacks. If you’ve never had an intense fight or flight response, the urge to literally drop everything and run, it’s like an out-of-body experience. We call it derealization. Sometimes I can even see myself from above, like I was at Snoops house and he gave me the shit that killed Elvis. This was not an ideal way to live. 

I started thinking, what are the triggers for these panic attacks? How can I avoid them and eliminate them?

I had a panic attack in Aspen, Colorado. Fine. No more altitude for me.

Panic attack at midnight? Going to bed at 10.

Panic attack anywhere? Well, I guess it’s time to become a recluse and stay at home, like Howard Hughes. That’s where I was literally headed, full-blown agoraphobia. 

And that’s when I decided to take the single most important step in my mental health journey. It’s not riveting. So hold onto your seats. Ready for it? Here’s what I did. I took the wildest leap.

I opened up and I talked to a friend.

I did that. Rebel stuff, right? And he looked at me and he said, "Man, I know exactly what you’re talking about. I had those all through school growing up." And just hearing him say that was revelatory.

I was so happy to learn that I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. I wasn’t alone. He said I need to talk to a professional, not a doctor, a mental health professional. And again, this is something I did not know existed. I didn’t grow up with any of this. We didn’t talk about our mental health. It was, "Suck it up."

I found a therapist named Dr. Oakley, who is a director of psychology at UCLA. I liked his vibe. First session, Dr. Oakley says to me, "I want you to hyperventilate in this paper bag. And we’re going to induce the symptoms of a panic attack on purpose."

And I looked at him like he was the one who needed help. And I said, "You gotta be kidding me. Do you have any idea how hard I try to not have those? I almost had one in your parking lot and went home." But he was right. Exposure is important. Taking the time to be vulnerable and learn about yourself is important.

It was time to stop running and it was time to start working on myself.

And over the years, I put in the work to manage and ultimately admire my anxiety.

I learned that the brain can send these false alarms to your body telling you that there’s an imminent threat, like there’s a saber-toothed tiger on the stage about to rip my head off.

But that that doesn’t exist. It’s not actually true. I learned to manage it with a regiment that smart people helped me create: meditation, breathing, taking a cold plunge, focusing on working hard for my family and taking my meds, the prescribed kind, not the kind from Snoop. But ultimately, I came to accept that this is who I am.

And not only do I accept it. I’m stronger because of it.

That doesn’t mean I’m never going to have a panic attack again. The body can always trick the mind. I had one hosting "The Voice." Twelve million people watching. I felt the wave come over me live on NBC. Not a good time to lose your shit. Thought I was going to pass out.

So I just held on. Right hand clutching the microphone, smiling is what you see. Left hand in the pocket. I grabbed my left thigh so hard, I started to bleed. Thirty seconds is what it lasted. But again, it felt like an eternity. But I made it.

In fact, it was worried I was going to have a panic attack today with the duke and duchess or tonight, right here in front of all of you.

I may never cure my anxiety, sometimes it’s tough, but it’s more important that I had the bravery to share my story just in case. It helps somebody the way that my friend helped me.

I think there’s three chapters to the arc in our society of mental health. The first chapter was when mental health was considered something to keep hidden in the shadows. It was something to be ashamed of. That chapter, unfortunately, stretched for the entire history as a species.  

The second started a few decades ago when doctors and researchers did the hard work of changing what we know about science. Advocates did the hard work of changing the hearts and minds. Brave people, sometimes risking their own careers and their reputations, came forward to share their mental health struggles and each of them made it easier for 10 more of us to come forward.

And that brings us to the third chapter in the arc of mental health. And the reason that we’re all here tonight. Building a world where everyone knows that mental health isn’t something to hide from. But a journey to take openly and a journey where you’ll find support along the way. We have a lot of work to do. 

We have a lot of work to do. Sixty-five million Americans are going to experience a mental health condition this year. That’s four times the number of Americans that will be diagnosed with cancer. And it takes far too long to reach them.

I think about it this way: If you roll your ankle on a basketball court in a pickup game, how long does it take you to go to the urgent care to get a diagnosis? Ten minutes. However long it takes you to get there.

The time it takes between somebody experiencing their first mental health symptom and actually getting help is 11 years. Eleven years. And that’s an average. It takes a lot longer in poor communities marginalized communities, communities of color. The distance to access is further and the stigma is greater. 

And all of that is why we have to reach people earlier. We have to show them that they’re not alone.

There is everybody going through something that we cannot see. We have to convince people that grappling with your mental health does not make you weak learning about it, managing it, making it work for you, turning your vulnerability into your greatest strength. That’s what makes you strong.

Mental health is no longer the Scarlet A on our chest. It is the bright red 'S' on our chest. We’re superheroes. We’re the avengers of a galaxy, jocks and misfits, all with their own issues coming together to help people and who knows, maybe even save the world. 

That’s why we’re here tonight to celebrate our own journeys. But more importantly, to help others take their own to build a better world. And I am profoundly grateful to everybody here tonight for joining all of us at Project Healthy Minds in that mission. Thank you very much.

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Mental health informative speech topics | example & outline, rachel r.n..

• September 10, 2022
• Essay Topics and Ideas

It’s important to be informed about mental health, especially since it’s something that so many people struggle with. In this article, we’ll cover some mental health informative speech topics that can help you raise awareness and start conversations about this important issue.

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What You'll Learn

Mental Health Informative Speech Ideas

When it comes to giving a speech, there are many different topics that you can choose from. However, if you want to give an informative speech about mental health, then you will need to make sure that you choose a topic that is both interesting and informative. To help you get started, here are some mental health informative speech ideas:

1. The Importance of Mental Health

2. The Different Types of Mental Illness

3. The Causes of Mental Illness

4. The Symptoms of Mental Illness

5. The Treatments for Mental Illness

6. The Impact of Mental Illness on Society

7. The Stigma Associated with Mental Illness

8. How to Help Someone with Mental Illness

9. mental Health in the Workplace 10. How to Talk about Mental Healthwith Family and Friends

Mental Health Speech Ideas

When it comes to giving a mental health speech, there are many different topics that you can choose to discuss. However, it is important to make sure that you select a topic that will be both informative and interesting to your audience. To help get you started, here are four mental health speech ideas:

This is a great topic for an informative speech as it can help to educate your audience on the importance of looking after their mental health. You could discuss the various factors that can impact mental health, such as stress, diet, and exercise. Additionally, you could provide tips on how to improve mental wellbeing.

2. The Warning Signs of Mental Illness

Another informative topic for a mental health speech is discussing the warning signs of mental illness. This can help people to better understand when they or someone they know may be developing a mental illness. It is important to note that not all warning signs will be present in every case, but some common ones include changes in mood, sleep patterns, and appetite.

3. The Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness

Unfortunately, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental illness which can make it difficult forpeople to seek help. This topic can be used to raise awareness of the stigma and to encourage people to break the silence around mental illness. Additionally, you could provide tips on how to support someone with a mental illness.

4. Personal Stories

Finally, another option for a mental health speech is to share personal stories. This could either be your own story or that of someone you know. Sharing personal stories can help to break down the barriers around mental illness and show people that they are not alone.

Hopefully, these mental health speech ideas have given you some inspiration for your next speech. Remember to choose a topic that you are passionate about so that you can deliver an engaging and informative speech.

Mental Health Informative Speech Topics

It can be difficult to come up with ideas for an informative speech, especially when the topic is something sensitive like mental health. In this article, we’ll give you some Mental Health Informative Speech Topics that will help you get started on your next big project!

When it comes to mental health, there are a lot of informative speech topics to choose from. Whether you want to educate others about mental illness, the warning signs of suicide, or how to cope with anxiety and depression, there is a wealth of information out there.

In this blog section, we’ll explore some of the most popular mental health informative speech topics. We’ll provide an overview of each topic, as well as some tips on how to deliver an effective and engaging speech.

Mental Health Informative Speech Topic #1: Mental Illness

There are many different types of mental illness, and it’s important to educate yourself and others about the signs and symptoms. Mental illness can be difficult to identify, but it’s important to be aware of the warning signs so that you can get help if you or someone you know is struggling.

Mental Health Informative Speech Topic #2: Suicide Prevention

Suicide is a serious issue, and it’s important to be familiar with the warning signs. If you or someone you know is in danger of harming themselves, it’s vital to get help immediately. There are many resources available to those in need, so don’t hesitate to reach out for help

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When it comes to giving an informative speech, there are many potential topics to choose from. But if you want to focus on mental health, there are a few key ideas that can make for an interesting and enlightening speech.

For example, you could discuss the different types of mental illness and how they can be treated. Or you could talk about the warning signs of mental illness and how to get help. You could also focus on the importance of mental health in overall wellness, or share stories about people who have overcome mental illness.

No matter what angle you take, informative speeches about mental health can be both educational and inspiring. So if you’re looking for a topic that will engage your audience and leave them wanting to learn more, consider one of these mental health topics for your next speech.

Mental Health Informative Speech

Informative speeches about mental health can be a great way to raise awareness about important topics related to mental health. By talking about mental health, you can help to break the stigma that often surrounds mental illness and help others to understand more about these conditions. If you are considering giving an informative speech about mental health, here are some potential topics that you could discuss:

1. The different types of mental illness. 2. The symptoms of mental illness. 3. The causes of mental illness. 4. The treatments available for mental illness. 5. The impact of mental illness on individuals and families. 6. The importance of early intervention for mental illness. 7. The challenges faced by people living with mental illness. 8. How to support someone with mental illness. 9. Mental health in the workplace. 10. Promoting positive mental health

informative speech topics on health and fitness

When it comes to giving an informative speech, there are many topics that you can choose from. However, if you want your audience to really learn something new and gain some valuable information, then you should consider talking about health and fitness. After all, these are two topics that affect everyone in some way or another.

There are a lot of different aspects to health and fitness that you can cover in your speech. For example, you could talk about the importance of exercise and how it can impact our overall health. You could also discuss the benefits of eating healthy and how it can help improve our mood and energy levels.

Of course, there are also some risks associated with being unhealthy that you could address as well. For instance, you could discuss the dangers of obesity and how it can lead to serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Comprehesive SOAP Notes Examples

No matter what angle you decide to take, there is no doubt that informative speech topics on health and fitness will be both interesting and informative for your audience. So if you’re looking for a way to really engage your audience and teach them something new, then this is definitely the route you should take!

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Speech, language and communication needs and mental health: the experiences of speech and language therapists and mental health professionals

Annabel hancock.

1 Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London UK

Sarah Northcott

2 Division of Language and Communication Science, City University of London, London UK

Hannah Hobson

3 Department of Psychology, University of York, York UK

Michael Clarke

Associated data.

Data are available on request due to privacy/ethical restrictions. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

While the relationship between speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and mental health difficulties has been recognized, speech and language therapists (SLTs), and mental health professionals face challenges in assessing and treating children with these co‐occurring needs. There exists a gap in the evidence base for best practice for professionals working with children and young people (CYP) who experience difficulties in both areas.

To explore the views of SLTs and mental health clinicians about their experiences of working with CYP exhibiting co‐occurring SLCN and mental health difficulties.

Methods & Procedures

Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with eight SLTs and six mental health professionals, including psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, play therapists and counsellors, with experience working with CYP with SLCN. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and themes were identified from the data.

Outcomes & Results

Participants felt that SLCN and mental health difficulties frequently co‐occur. Participants described how CYP with SLCN and mental health issues commonly experience difficulties across and between the domains of language and cognition, emotional well‐being and challenging behaviour. Findings suggest that there are organizational limitations in the fields of SLT and mental health that have implications for the efficacy of assessment and treatment of CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. Traditional talking therapies were perceived to be inaccessible and ineffective for CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. Interventions blending behaviour and emotion programmes with language and communication interventions were considered potentially beneficial.

Conclusions & Implications

Future research should explore and evaluate current services and service set‐up in SLT and mental health. The findings from this study have important implications for the efficacy of treatments provided to this population suggesting that more research needs to be done into effective diagnosis and interventions for this population.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

What is already known on the subject.

• Research suggests that CYP with SLCN, such as developmental language disorder (DLD), are likely to experience mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety and poor emotional well‐being. CYP who experience difficulties with SLCN and poor mental health are not well understood and this area remains under‐researched. This has implications for clinician knowledge and therefore the effective diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents experiencing SLCN and mental health difficulties. In addition, little is known about the accessibility of talking therapies to CYP presenting with SLCN and mental health difficulties.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge

• SLCN issues are understood by SLTs and mental health issues are understood by mental health professionals, but where these co‐occur difficulties exist for the diagnostic process, with professionals perceiving that CYP in this category are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Organizational boundaries between SLT and mental health were perceived to contribute to a lack of understanding of SLCN and mental health needs, which has implications for effective diagnosis and treatment. Traditional talking therapies were thought to be inaccessible for CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. Interventions used in both SLT and psychotherapy were perceived as clinically useful if combined.

What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?

• This paper highlights implications for the accessibility and efficacy of the assessment and treatment provided to this population and to the organization of services currently treating this group of CYP. A direction for future research would be to undertake service evaluations and intervention‐based studies.

INTRODUCTION

The relationship between speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and mental health is interwoven and highly complex and often poses real problems for speech and language therapists (SLTs) and mental health professionals to understand, diagnose and treat. SLCN is a broad category that covers a wide range of conditions affecting speech, language and communication (Bishop et al., 2017 ). For simplicity and consistency, the term ‘mental health’ or ‘mental health difficulties’ will be used to refer to children and young people (CYP) with social–emotional and mental health needs, anxiety and depression.

The aim of this study was to explore the views of SLTs and mental health clinicians about their experiences of working with CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties and, if identified by participants, to explore issues around language and social communication disorders. We begin by first reviewing the existing evidence on the links between language, communication and mental health.

Language, social communication and mental health

There is extensive evidence that language and communication problems co‐occur with mental health problems, although the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unclear. Poor language skills are common in CYP with emotional–behavioural disorders. A 2014 systematic review reported that four out of five children with emotional–behavioural disorders had at least mild language difficulties that had not been previously identified (Hollo et al., 2014 ). Poor mental health can present as challenging behaviour, and is associated with disorders of social communication and language (Georgiades et al., 2010 ). In addition to externalizing problems, children with social communication difficulties (SCDs) are likely to experience anxiety (Moree & Davis, 2010 ). Cohen et al. ( 2013 ) and Wadman et al. ( 2011 ) reported that anxiety symptoms frequently occur in individuals with DLD in young adulthood. DLD can severely impact on mental health, and an increased risk for depressive symptoms has been consistently reported in this group. For example, clinical levels of depression range from 20% to 39% in children and adolescents with DLD compared with 14–18% in peers without DLD (Conti‐Ramsden & Botting, 2008 ). Difficulties with language and communication can affect daily living and extend across the lifespan to affect life outcomes. For instance, young offenders with language impairment are at a higher risk for mental health problems (Snow & Powell, 2004 ) and one of the biggest predictors of reoffending is unrecognized DLD (Winstanley et al., 2019 ).

It is possible that certain aspects of language and communication hold particular relevance for mental health. Van den Bedem et al. ( 2018 ) reported specifically more semantic problems in individuals with DLD and the contribution of this to the prediction of depressive symptoms. Children with pragmatic language difficulties also appear prone to emotional and psychosocial difficulties (Cohen et al., 2013 ). For example, in a community‐based longitudinal study, Sullivan et al. ( 2016 ) reported an association between poor pragmatic language in childhood and adolescent psychotic experiences, and that poor pragmatic language skills preceded early adolescent depression. Some children with pragmatic language impairments also show difficulties recognizing facial emotions (Merkenschlager et al., 2012 ), which may impact on their ability to respond appropriately to others and to form close relationships with those around them (Merkenschlager et al., 2012 ). Van den Bedem et al. ( 2018 ) suggested that children with social communication problems are more likely to adopt maladaptive emotional regulation strategies. These maladaptive strategies may contribute to the prediction of higher levels of depressive symptoms. Children with SLCN are also more likely to be the target of bullying and to experience emotional difficulties compared with their typically developing peers (Lloyd‐Esenkaya et al., 2021 ). SCDs are thought to predict social anxiety, and those who experience peer victimization are likely to present with SCDs (Pickard et al., 2018 ).

In clinical practice, those commonly diagnosed with SCDs and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may also present with pragmatic problems. Research shows that CYP with ASD and SCDs meet the diagnostic criteria for co‐morbid diagnoses of depression and anxiety disorders (Hofvander et al., 2009 ). The prevalence of mental health disorders in ASD is high. For example, in an interview study of 54 young adults with Asperger syndrome, 70% reported experiencing one major episode of depression and 56% reported experiencing anxiety disorders (Lugnegard et al., 2011 ). Furthermore, children with SCDs as part of ASD experience attention and challenging behaviour disorders (Moree & Davis, 2010 ; Georgiades et al., 2010 ) and this may lead to poor mental health.

Another factor that may link language, communication and mental health is the role of emotions and the impact of language and communication upon emotional processes. The ability to effectively vocalize feelings and thoughts relies heavily upon robust language skills, especially in relation to gaining a sense of self‐expression, self‐control and emotional insight (Unsworth & Engle, 2007 ). Neuropsychological evidence also highlights that damage to classic language areas in the brain affects emotion processing. Computerised tomography (CT) scans of patients who had sustained a traumatic brain injury found that damage to the inferior frontal gyrus (i.e., Broca's area) was associated with increased alexithymia scores (difficulties identifying and describing one's own emotions) (Hobson et al., 2018 ). Similarly, communication problems of people who have had a stroke are associated with high alexithymia scores, even after accounting for depression and anxiety (Hobson et al., 2020 ). Such research has led to the proposal that the link between language and identifying emotions is intrinsic, and that language impairment could contribute to alexithymia and/or vice versa. This has been coined as the alexithymia language hypothesis (Hobson et al., 2020 ). While these studies reflect data from acquired language disorders (i.e., following traumatic brain injury or stroke), Hobson et al. ( 2020 ) suggests that individuals with developmental language problems are also likely to experience difficulties with alexithymia. Indeed, initial examinations of levels of alexithymia in DLD suggest that, at least according to children's parents, children with DLD have higher alexithymic traits and problems with recognizing and expressing their own emotions (Hobson & van den Bedem, 2021 ). If language problems lead to greater alexithymic traits, it would be expected that such emotional problems will increase the risk for mental health problems and impact on treatment.

Interventions for mental health and SLCN

There are clear links between language and communication problems and mental health, and plausible models for how these two domains interact. It is thus pertinent to ask: What can interventions do to help and are current interventions suitable for CYP with SLCN? The use of appropriately modified talking therapies for CYP with language and SCDs is lacking evidence. Nonetheless, deficits in speech, language and communication would be expected to negatively impact the effect of talking therapies as CYP with SLCN would have difficulties with understanding pragmatic and inferential language, understanding and using narrative language, and understanding and interpreting emotions. Furthermore, difficulties communicating abstract concepts in verbal and non‐verbal children have been identified as limiting factors to effectively access psychological therapies (Lang et al., 2010 ). Thus, social communication and language difficulties may reduce the accessibility and therefore efficacy of traditional talking therapies.

There appears little acknowledgement about the role of language and communication in modifications of talking therapies. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the use of psychosocial interventions with adults with ASD (NICE, 2013 ) recommend using plain English during therapy sessions and avoiding the use of metaphors. In addition, much of the research in this area has focused largely on the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in children and adolescents and often with overt SLCN such as voice disorders, stammering and selective mutism (Bercow et al., 2016 ; Menzies et al., 2008 ). There is also a growing body of research on the use of adapted talking therapies for adults with SLCN. For instance, the Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in Poststroke Aphasia SOFIA trial (Northcott et al., 2021 ) applied modified SFBT so that it was accessible to language‐impaired stoke survivors. There is no direct evidence for the use of adapted talking therapies in CYP with DLD or language impairments.

Without knowledge about the nature of the SLCN, suitable access to a talking therapy may be ineffective. For instance, individuals with ASD have more trouble understanding psychotherapy concepts than non‐autistic controls (Hall et al., 2015 ). Furthermore, differences in social communication may mean a lack of social chat, difficulties initiating and maintaining conversations and interpreting language literally, all of which would significantly impact upon effective accessibility to talking therapies (Bliss & Edmonds, 2008 ).

In summary, despite the evidence for a relationship between SLCN and mental health needs, there are considerable knowledge gaps in understanding the impact of SLCN on the efficacy and accessibility of treatments, and the role of SLCN in traditional talking therapies has been largely unexplored. Little is known about clinicians’ perspectives of SLCN and mental health difficulties. Therefore, to inform and build the evidence base, the current study explored the views and experiences of clinicians assessing and treating CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. The aim of the study was to explore clinicians’ experiences of working with CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. The study addressed the following research questions:

• With what difficulties do CYP with SLCN and mental health needs typically present?
• How do clinicians experience assessing and delivering therapies to CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties?
• What treatments are thought to be clinically useful for CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties?

Research design

A qualitative research design using reflexive thematic analysis (TA) was chosen for this study in order to obtain a richness and depth to the data set that would appropriately answer the research questions. This approach facilitated an exploration of clinician experiences, observations and knowledge. A reflexive approach to TA was chosen due to the emphasis placed on the importance of the researcher's subjectivity as an analytic resource, and the reflexive engagement with theory, data and interpretation (Braun & Clarke, 2020 ). A reflexive approach is compatible with experiential qualitative research and was fundamental to the research questions. The approach adopted was an active and flexible process with the acknowledgement of theory. This process ensured a quality demonstrated in gold standard TA (Braun & Clarke, 2020 ). Interview questions were semi‐structured in nature; an interview guide and questions were constructed (see in the additional supporting information ) and followed from a flexible and dynamic perspective. The questions were designed to be open‐ended to facilitate flow of conversation with the aim to build rapport and encourage participants to talk about issues pertinent to the research questions.

Participants and recruitment

This study received ethical approval from University College London (LCD‐2020‐10). This study involved 14 clinicians: eight SLTs and six mental health professionals (Table  1 ). Inclusion criteria were that participants should be qualified allied health professionals in the field of speech and language therapy or mental health. Participants had to have sufficient professional experience (at least one year post‐qualification) working with CYP. Participants were provided with an information sheet written in plain English regarding the research area, interview procedure and research aims. Informed consent was obtained before each interview and participants were given the opportunity to ask questions.

Participant characteristics

Data collection

Interviews lasted for up to one hour and were conducted by the first author online via Microsoft Teams video conferencing software. Video‐audio data were collected. Online interviews were chosen for participant convenience and to ensure that the research could take place despite COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions. Each interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim by the first author and field notes were taken. Personally identifying information such as names and places of work were not transcribed to ensure participant anonymity. Video recordings were securely stored under encryption and deleted after analysis.

Data analysis

The transcribed interviews were subjected to an inductive thematic analysis. An inductive approach to thematic analysis was chosen due to the acknowledgement that epistemological assumptions would inevitably inform the analytic process (Braun & Clarke, 2020 ). However, the recognition that thematic analysis is a theoretically flexible approach was accepted and informed the analytic process. Therefore, the approach was descriptive but not wholly atheoretical. A flexible, active and interactive approach was central to the data analysis to support the process of theme generation, as opposed to theme emergence which could be deemed as not reflective of the data and the positionality of the researchers (Braun & Clarke, 2020 ).

NVivo 20 software was used to support line‐by‐line coding of all transcripts. A reflective diary was used to support the identification of themes from codes. Online team coding was conducted with two postgraduate research students and three senior researchers to support the process of reflexivity and refinement of theme generation. The first author presented raw data, identified codes and initial generated themes to the coding group; these were discussed, challenged and refined.

Reflexivity

As reflexive TA captures the skills the researcher brings to the process (Braun & Clarke, 2020 : 6), it is necessary to consider the researcher's perspective. The lead author is a female clinical academic SLT specializing in paediatric ASD, DLD and challenging behaviour. She is also a solution‐focused therapist and practices hypnotherapy with children and adults. The current project formed part of the lead researcher's pre‐doctoral clinical fellowship funded by The National Institute of Health Research. The co‐authors are senior researchers with experience in the fields of speech and language therapy and psychology with research in aphasia and solution‐focused brief therapy, alexithymia and SLCN. Participants were informed about the lead researcher's occupation, background and research aims. The lead researcher's interests and aims were not shared with the participants, and the researcher attempted to maintain a neutral stance throughout the interviews in order to obtain a true picture of clinicians’ experiences and understanding of specific subtypes of SLCN and their relationship to mental health.

Four main themes were generated from the data: (1) boundaries around professional relationships, (2) knowledge of SLCN and mental health, (3) being misunderstood: how CYP are perceived by others and (4) blended interventions. These are summarized in Figure  1 . We unpack each theme and its subthemes below.

Summary of the main themes and subthemes [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com ]

Note: SLT, speech and language therapy; MH, mental health; MDT, multidisciplinary team.

In addition, data were gathered regarding how participants characterize this population. SLCN and difficulties with mental health were identified by participants as frequently co‐occurring. These data are presented following a discussion of the four themes under Figure  2 : SLCN and mental health difficulties: typical difficulties reported in this population.

Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and mental health difficulties: typical difficulties reported in this population [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com ]

Theme 1: Boundaries around professional relationships

This theme describes observed discrepancies in the identification of children with SLCN and mental health difficulties, and discrepancies in approaches to working with this population between mental health professional participants and SLT participants. Differences in service provision, professional practice and lack of multidisciplinary team working were cited by participants as contributing factors to the observed discrepancies.

One subtheme concerned marked differences in the organization of SLT and mental health services. SLT and mental health services were not only considered differently organized but also highly variable depending upon postcode, funding and service set‐up. How services were set‐up was construed to play a large part in the appropriate management, or perceived mismanagement, of children with SLCN and mental health difficulties. Service boundaries were identified as contributing to a range of difficulties working across and between disciplines. For example, SLTs discussed difficulties referring to services such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), often receiving referral rejections from CAMHS with limited or no feedback. Other examples cited by participants were related to limited feedback or acknowledgement to receiving patient reports, a physical distance between services, and difficulties identifying appropriate treatment pathways for CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties, particularly in mental health services. ‘Lots of referrals get rejected, so many referrals that we really feel as a team need CAMHS support’ (participant (P)5: SLT).

Participants described how services are often entirely separate and working in respective isolation. This was interpreted to contribute to a limited or total absence of joint working, resulting in a lack of knowledge of each profession's discipline and of discipline protocols, for example, referral systems, use of screening for appropriate referrals and confidentiality policies. Service level differences were also cited as causing difficulties identifying which discipline should assess and manage CYP. ‘It was sort of, oh no, that has to be CAMHS, CAMHS has to deal with them, and if they were under seven, then CAMHS would say, oh no, that has to be speech therapy, speech therapy is dealing with them’ (P3: SLT).

A second subtheme was limited multidisciplinary team (MDT) working. An MDT is a group of health or social care workers and professionals who are members of different disciplines, each of which provides a specific service to service users (Hodder Education, 2021 ). Differences in service provision and service funding resulting in a separation of professionals, both at a geographic and organization level, was construed as a contributing factor to limited MDT working between mental health and speech and language therapy. Participants described how SLTs and mental health professionals are often not part of the same MDT and therefore have fewer opportunities to provide integrated care. SLT participants commented that their profession is often unaccounted for within acute mental health services, and one mental health professional considered her role under the safeguarding team as being cut‐off from the SLT's role which was under the SEN team. In addition, some participants attributed limited MDT working to policy level differences such as psychological services not sharing information with SLT due to confidentiality policies and differences in patient note systems:

‘we're often funded by different streams and funded by different people, we work in different health trusts quite often, and that actually has massive implications for the fact a) that you're not physically in the same building, so you don't get to see these people very often, but that even things about how we collect data, our electronic patient systems, we often use very different data technology that, that can make things very difficult in terms of information sharing’. (P13: mental health professional)

SLT participants also described a lack of approachability from mental health professionals which was seen as alienating and limiting from a diagnostic and therapeutic perspective, further contributing to limited MDT working, collaboration and cohesion between these professional groups.

‘because you've talked about an incident or challenging behaviour or something like that, certain psychology colleagues see that as inappropriate or you've overstepped a boundary because you're talking about a kind of emotion when that's something that they do, or they perceive themselves as doing quite exclusively’. (P7: SLT)

Theme 2: Knowledge of SLCN and mental health difficulties

The first theme ‘Boundaries around professional relationships’ directly interacts with the second theme ‘Knowledge of SLCN and mental health difficulties’. A perceived lack of shared knowledge was seen to be related to limited opportunities for multidisciplinary experiences and the clinical service set‐up overall.

The first subtheme concerned the ‘visibility’ of SLCN. It was construed that potentially less immediately obvious SLCN, such as DLD, are less likely to be identified by mental health professionals than more visible SLCN, such as stammering and selective mutism. Visible SLCNs discussed more frequently by mental health professionals as opposed to invisible SLCNs. This discrepancy was described by participants as potentially contributing to unidentified SLCN and mental health difficulties within mental health services, and the lack of knowledge universally with assessment and treatment of this population.

‘I don't think that's typical for mental health practitioners (to consider language difficulties). No, I would definitely think I know my team, the teams that I've worked in, most people would not think about language, particularly language disorders in a young person as part of the part of their (psychology) assessment, unless a parent disclosed something like that, or unless they were very, it was very clear evidence that there were quite obvious difficulties’. (P13: mental health professional)

Difficulty teasing out SLCN from mental health issues (and vice versa) was also interpreted as contributing to a lack of knowledge regarding appropriate diagnosis of CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. It was construed that a lack of understanding of the relationship between SLCN and mental health often impacts upon which professional should and would assess and treat this population. Participants discussed how social skills historically have been explicitly taught by SLTs but that mental health professionals are increasingly using this approach as an intervention strategy. Participants discussed a general lack of clarity around role boundaries which could sometimes lead to perceptions of overstepping a professional role or boundary. ‘In my kind of experience, I find certain psychologists very much see emotion, or kinds of challenging behaviour as their domain and they don't like anyone stepping into it’ (P7: SLT).

Barriers to accessing talking therapies was the second subtheme. Knowledge around diagnosis was construed as relating directly to providing appropriate interventions for this population, particularly regarding talking therapies. Traditional talking therapies were interpreted as being potentially inaccessible and inflexible for individuals presenting with SLCN and mental health difficulties, particularly if language difficulties were unidentified. SLTs and some mental health professional participants viewed psychological therapies as language heavy, involving higher level language and concepts that CYP with SLCN would struggle to comprehend and verbalize.

‘I might go and observe a psychology session with them and then the language they're using is far too complex the, the psychological language, the therapy materials, they often use a metaphorical language, they're using kind of these images and symbolism, which is far too complex for the person in general and then they're not really understanding’ (P7: SLT).

Due to a perceived lack of knowledge, identification of CYP with less visible SLCN might be missed by mental health professionals and unaccounted for within traditional psychological therapies. SLT participants described how in such instances appropriate accessibility and efficacy of talking therapies for CYP with SLCN may be compromised. ‘I'm not sure how much they know about these particular children's language needs and like how therefore their intervention with DEAF‐CAMHS‐H [CAMHS for the hearing impaired] is delivered effectively’ (P2: SLT).

Theme 3: Being misunderstood/labelled as naughty

Both SLT and mental health professional participants construed CYP presenting with SLCN and mental health difficulties as misunderstood and often perceived negatively by staff, carers, parents and the wider environment. In particular, difficulties with challenging behaviour, dysregulation and disengagement were interpreted by participants as being misunderstood and perceived as ‘naughty’. Participants considered the high prevalence of behaviours such as disengagement, a distrust of professionals and school refusal as contributing to this perception. Participants interpreted this population as commonly using non‐typical social communication skills that may result in difficulties building and maintaining relationships with peers, staff, parents and carers, further contributing to a negative perception. Difficulties with understanding and expressing language were seen to be related directly to instances of challenging behaviour.

‘We tend to get a lot of young people who are presenting at school, with quite significant behavioural difficulties and we tend to find that being viewed as a behavioural child, rather than a child that's got underlying language needs that have been un‐diagnosed’ (P5: SLT).

Theme 4: Blended interventions

The final theme concerns blended interventions. This theme describes participants’ descriptions of optimum interventions for CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. It was construed that working with the systems and environment around CYP is clinically useful for this population.

The first subtheme concerns working with the environment. The use of positive behavioural support systems, emotional regulation strategies and programmes, staff training, and the involvement of parents within interventions were deemed as clinically useful interventions for CYP experiencing SLCN and mental health issues. Parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) is used by SLTs with the aim of improving interactions between children and their parents/carers (Falkus et al., 2016 ). Theraplay is used by psychotherapists to support healthy child/caregiver attachments (Institute of Theraplay, 2021 ). Both PCIT and Theraplay offer similar programmes where parents are involved as part of the intervention process. Participants discussed the potential of combining or utilizing such approaches in a more joined‐up manner for future targeted interventions. A functional approach to mitigating SLCN was also construed as beneficial for this population. Participants discussed how targeting specific aspects of SLCN may not be as beneficial as focusing on increasing overall functioning and well‐being of CYP.

‘So, I think in terms of delivering therapy, lots of it is about that environmental to therapeutics, so sort of, let's see if we can normalize the environment as much as we can in this environment and support behaviour through communication’ (P3: SLT).

The second subtheme concerned supports for communication. This theme was discussed universally by participants. The need to adapt language and consider therapist delivery within all diagnostic and therapeutic processes was seen as paramount for CYP experiencing SLCN and mental health difficulties. Using simple or no language to take the pressure off a requirement for verbal communication was interpreted as being necessary within any intervention for this population. Other visual supports, such as talking mats (Murphy et al., 2013 ) and communication systems, such as visual timetables and ‘now and next’ boards, were considered useful.

‘The use visuals, the use of visuals full stop. Whether that's visual or written timetable, even if the child has literacy so implementing a sort of routine on a timetable and consistent use of that across the day, I think works well’ (P4: SLT).

Play therapy or the use of play as a vehicle for access to psychological therapy for CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties was considered a potentially useful psychological approach for this population due to the lack of emphasis upon verbal communication:

‘So, I think the use of toys and play can help bring their outer world about what's going on when, what they see inside and speech doesn't need to be, it doesn't need to be a part of that’ (P12: mental health professional). ‘I think the therapy it's different because I'm not expecting, they don't have to talk’ (P11: mental health professional).

Explicitly teaching higher level language was deemed an important intervention strategy, particularly in relation to comprehending and expressing emotions. One SLT participant described how they had combined a cognitive developmental theory of emotion and a psychotherapy model, with a vocabulary intervention directed through talking mats (Murphy et al., 2013 ) to facilitate communication. This was discussed and explored as a potentially useful way to develop emotion vocabulary comprehension and processing with this population.

‘You give people labels to understand what they're feeling physically, and then you move it onto more cognitive levels where that's the more kind of established sort of CBT, that kind of approach where they're thinking about their emotions and their thoughts … then you move on to the word level stage (of the vocabulary intervention) and that's very much around introducing kind of very basic semantic understanding of the word of the meaning and then you're building in the syntax and you're trying to get a really deep, you're trying to get there because they often have a vague notion of what certain words mean, but their understanding is very poor so you're trying to really reinforce a particular meaning or understanding of an emotion word’ (P7: SLT).

Merging interventions drawing upon practices from speech and language therapy and mental health was discussed. For instance, an SLT talked about how they had successfully combined shape coding (Ebbels, 2021 ), which is an established intervention used by SLTs, with social communication, emotional regulation, and transactional support (SCERTS), which is a behaviour intervention (Prizant et al., 2006 ). Participants also interpreted the use of relatable, non‐hypothetical language, and teaching how emotions look and feel in the body as being clinically necessary for this population. Participants advocated for the need to modify and adapt traditional talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and using an individualized approach. ‘Lots of more sort of explicit ways of doing things and using lots of examples from his own his own life and things that he would bring to the session rather than me coming up with example’ (P13: mental health professional).

Common difficulties reported by interviewees to be seen in CYP with SLCN and poor mental health

In addition to the themes described above, participants generated discussion regarding how they characterize this population. In answer to the question ‘can you tell me about some of the difficulties these CYP experience?’, participants described a range of difficulties this population typically present with. This is not a diagnostic criterion; it is a set of descriptions used by participants to describe their experience of this population (Figure  2 ).

Participants felt that characterizing the overall presentation of this population is often problematic. Participants reported that it is difficult to determine what is specifically a SLCN and what is a mental health need. SLCN and difficulties with mental health were identified by participants as frequently co‐occurring. Key aspects of development were identified by participants as being typically delayed or disordered with CYP experiencing SLCN and mental health difficulties. Participants reported that CYP in this population would commonly experience difficulties across these areas. The first area identified was emotional well‐being. Participants felt that this population significantly struggle with feelings of self‐consciousness, low self‐esteem, and anxiety, often about the presence of a communication impairment, and the impact of their communication difficulty on their experiences with the world around them. Participants felt that difficulties with self‐esteem and anxiety could sometimes result in poor emotional resilience. One participant described how young offenders are at particular risk of developing low self‐esteem because of multiple exclusions from education and therefore a sense of rejection that they may experience throughout life. Another participant described how difficulties with SLCN could impact on their well‐being and levels of anxiety and distress and behaviour. ‘We definitely see those children, they're often very anxious and there is definitely an impact of some of their difficulties on their well‐being, self‐esteem and their mental health’ (P5: SLT).

The second common characteristic was challenging behaviour. Participants described this population as typically experiencing difficulties with engagement, staying on task, and finding it hard to comply with work in the classroom or, with other professionals. Typical behavioural difficulties were problems with emotional regulation and the presence of anger or aggressive behaviours. Participants described how CYP can be disruptive or conversely appear withdrawn and isolated in social situations. Other reported difficulties in this area were with attention and listening and with building and maintaining relationships, particularly with peers.

‘We see quite a lot of, we describe it as anxiety for the children that, that I work with and dysregulation is a term that I've been using much more recently, so that can present as very elevated, it can present us physical aggression, some self‐harm and behaviours, yeah, sort of, socially inappropriate behaviours in terms of removing clothes and smearing and that sort of thing’ (P10: mental health professional).

The final area identified as characteristic of this population was language and cognition. Participants felt that this category of CYP experience difficulties with general language comprehension, processing of spoken language and with their expressive language. ‘Verbally he (a patient) appeared to understand things very well or he had a good, he had a good vocabulary, but actually his understanding was limited so he could be quite misleading’ (P13: mental health professional).

Difficulties with executive function was also discussed, often in relation to CYP being able to appropriately plan and organize themselves. One participant cited how it is common for CYP to arrive late to lessons, getting lost en‐route and forgetting school equipment. Difficulties with verbal reasoning were also described as commonly present with this population. ‘They're breaking their curfews and they end up in trouble with the police and things because they can't tell the time’ (P5: SLT).

Difficulties with metacognition (thinking about thinking) was also highlighted by participants as a typical difficulty seen in these CYP. Difficulties with insight, being able to monitor their communication and planning how to approach a learning task were all discussed as typical problems for this population. ‘They may not have insight into their own language use or behaviour’ (P2: SLT).

‘Difficulties with higher order language and the use of sophisticated, abstract and emotional language was also reported. Participants reported CYP in this population often experience difficulties understanding and using emotion language, particularly labelling emotions. They don't know what it means when somebody uses those words (emotional words), or is sarcastic’ (P5: SLT).

The misunderstanding of negative constructions was discussed as being a barrier to understanding emotions:

‘You might conceive that someone's doing something to you because you can't understand negative constructions, for instance, you just you assume everyone's just doing things to you but you're the one who's not quite understanding like the word no, or negative things’ (P7: SLT).

Difficulties with being able to understand abstract language and using language in a more abstract way to make predictions, use hypothetical language and humour was also cited as a typical difficulty in this population. ‘He would struggle with transferring that knowledge from a discussion about a hypothetical person to himself’ (P10: mental health professional).

The current study explored the experiences and views of SLTs and mental health professionals working with CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. Discussion around CYP with SCDs such as ASD, and developmental language disorder (DLD) was of particular interest. SLTs and mental health professionals in this study perceived certain subtypes of SLCN to commonly co‐occur with mental health difficulties. Findings suggest that there are organizational and service set‐up boundaries between SLTs and mental health clinicians, which has implications for the efficacy of assessment and treatment of this population. Findings also suggest that this population is often misunderstood and misidentified. The current research indicates that combined approaches in SLT and mental health may be beneficial for CYP who present with co‐occurring SLCN and mental health needs.

The current research has also identified that distinct barriers exist between mental health clinicians and SLTs which has led to boundaries between these professional groups. The most significant barrier was found to be around service organization and set‐up. Participants described how, as professionals, they felt organizational difficulties led to feelings of ‘failing’ this cohort. Findings suggest that mental health professionals and SLTs are often not in the same MDT and that SLT is often not a recognised professional group within children and adolescent mental health services. SLT and mental health services appear to be functioning in parallel, working under different teams, services, NHS trusts, local authorities, and sometimes entirely different organizations. Service set‐up and organization limitations were deemed to result in fewer opportunities for MDT working which has a negative impact on the knowledge professionals have of CYP with co‐occurring SLCN and mental health difficulties. Within the United Kingdom there is currently an ongoing consultation process with The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and CAMHS to recognise the role of SLT within mental services and to increase SLT roles within core CAMHS services.

The current research highlights how a lack of understanding of this population is a clinical concern and has been described by participants in this study as having implications for effective diagnosis and treatment. The current study also illustrates that availability of joined up and multidisciplinary services for this population is scarce. This has resulted in a lack of shared knowledge about this population, leading to challenges with diagnosis, particularly with CYP who exhibit invisible SLCN and mental health difficulties such as DLD. The current research highlights that CYP with co‐occurring SLCN and mental health difficulties may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed by professionals. This may mean CYP in this population fail to receive appropriately modified and evidence‐based treatment. The current findings resonate with other recent investigations of parents’ experiences concerning mental health support for their children with SLCN. Parents have reported concerns that mental health treatments were not accessible for their children and lacked adaptations necessary for them to work for children with conditions such as DLD (Hobson et al., 2021 ).

Typical behaviours and characteristics of CYP with co‐occurring SLCN and mental health needs are often misunderstood by parents, carers and professionals resulting in this population being misinterpreted and often labelled as ‘naughty’. Behaviours that are typically misunderstood include anger or emotional outbursts due to difficulties with emotional regulation, disengagement, language difficulties and problems with building and maintaining adult and peer relationships. Participants reported that children in this population are frequently ‘angry’ or show aggressive behaviours, and experience difficulties with friendships, can be distrusting of professionals, and are likely to show poor school attendance. Participants observed that CYP in this population are also likely to experience school expulsion, attendance to pupil referral units, and in some cases youth offending institutions/team (YOT).

A key finding was that interventions used in both speech and language therapy and psychotherapy are perceived as clinically useful if combined. Other research (Bercow et al., 2016 ; Menzies et al., 2018 ) has applied mental health interventions to specific subtypes of SLCN such as stammering, selective mutism and ASD, but little in relation to DLD. Participants discussed how they have successfully blended behaviour and emotion programmes with language and communication interventions. Similarly, participants discussed how combining traditional talking therapies, such as CBT, with modifications to account for communication difficulties, such as using visual supports, can be beneficial.

Hollo et al. ( 2014 ) has called for the development of interventions to ameliorate the effects of these dual deficits. Findings from the current study show that some existing or modified interventions are anecdotally effective. A good starting point for future research would be with the exploration of adapted traditional talking therapies and psychological therapies combined with SLT. A preliminary finding from the current research is that play therapy could also offer a potentially useful psychological therapy for CYP with co‐occurring SLCN and mental health difficulties due to its child‐led nature and lack of emphasis upon language and communication. Interestingly, play therapy was also raised by parents of children with DLD in the study by Hobson et al. ( 2021 ) as an approach that they felt would be worth pursuing. This has yet to be directly explored in individuals with SLCN but could offer further direction for future research into interventions for this population.

Findings from the current research show that it is not typical for mental health clinicians to consider language and communication skills within their assessment and treatment processes. The potential impact of this omission was described by participants as limiting CYP with co‐occurring SLCN and mental health needs to therapies that would likely be inaccessible. The current study has found that traditional talking therapies may not be modified for this population, unless the CYP have an obvious or diagnosed SLCN. This has implications for the efficacy of treatments provided, highlighting that traditional talking therapies, if not appropriately modified, are likely to be suboptimal for this cohort. Participants felt that traditional talking therapies could be reasonably adjusted to be accessible to individuals with SLCN. In a recent intervention study where aphasic adult patients received SFBT, Northcott et al. ( 2015 ) concluded that modifying question forms of therapy enabled greater accessibility.

Clinicians identified that CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties most commonly experience difficulties across and between the domains of language and cognition, emotional well‐being and challenging behaviour. Fundamentally, participants considered that it is typical for CYP to present with co‐occurring SLCN and mental health difficulties, that is, difficulties across speech, language and communication and mental health. Previous research reports that children and adolescents with DLD and ASD are likely to experience difficulties with anxiety and depression (Cohen et al., 2013 ; Hofvander et al., 2009 ; Wadman et al., 2011 ). Results from the current study reflect this, indicating that difficulties with language and social communication are likely to interact with mental health difficulties. In addition, participants felt that SLCN can profoundly affect a person's social and emotional well‐being, and this can lead to poor mental health.

Participants described how CYP typically experiencing difficulties with higher level language are likely to find understanding and expressing emotions challenging. This supports existing frameworks such as the alexithymia language hypothesis (Hobson et al., 2020 ) which proposes that because of the intrinsic relationship between language and emotions, CYP with conditions such as ASD and DLD may be more likely to experience co‐occurring difficulties with mental health.

A limitation of the current study was that some of the participants were recruited from the researcher's professional network. Thus, a convenience sample was used and therefore potential selection bias may have been present, resulting in a failure to capture important perspectives from hard‐to‐reach participants. However, it is important to note that the range of participant specialities, knowledge and skill set was heterogenous and diverse.

Clear directions for future research have been identified from the results of the current study. The service organization, set‐up and service provision for this population is problematic. Future studies could explore and evaluate current services, set‐up and structure across and between SLT and mental health. The findings from the current study have important implications for the efficacy of treatments provided to this population, suggesting that more research needs to be done in this area. There exists a large gap in the evidence base for intervention‐based studies with this population. Larger scale intervention studies could also provide evidence for the efficacy of psychological approaches with this population. Future studies could also explore the adaptability of traditional talking therapies, combining approaches drawn from SLT and psychological therapies and the exploration of play therapy. Intervention studies analysing the efficacy of psychological therapies in children and adolescents with SLCN should arguably be conducted in part with SLT to provide input regarding SLCN. Modifications to talking therapies in young people with SLCN are therefore necessary in order to reflect and treat the presence of SLCN and mental health difficulties. Research from Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in Poststroke Aphasia SOFIA trial (Northcott et al., 2021 ) suggests that modifications to SFBT is a promising psychotherapy approach for adults with aphasia, and that it is possible to adapt a language‐based psychological intervention for people with language disorders. In addition, behavioural activation therapy has also been shown to be successfully modifiable for adults with aphasia (Thomas et al., 2013 ) but further evidence, especially in a paediatric population, is scarce.

The current study aimed to describe typical presentations of this population, clinician experiences treating this population and clinically useful treatment approaches. The findings present a picture of the problems CYP with SLCN and mental health needs commonly experience and has enabled the documentation of a range of clinician experiences and views to inform and build a limited evidence base. Findings suggest that there are distinct organizational and service set‐up limitations with implications for the assessment and treatment of CYP with SLCN and mental health difficulties. Interventions drawing upon SLT, and mental health approaches may be beneficial for this population.

Supporting information

Supporting Information

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Annabel Hancock thanks The Owl Therapy Centre for their invaluable support and for making this project a reality. She also thanks her supervisors and The NIHR for funding this project as part of the Predoctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship. She is also grateful to the participants who took part in this project, without which this research would not have been possible.

Hancock, A. , Northcott, S. , Hobson, H. , & Clarke, M. (2023) Speech, language and communication needs and mental health: the experiences of speech and language therapists and mental health professionals . International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders , 58 , 52–66. 10.1111/1460-6984.12767 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

The NIHR funded this project as part of Annabel Hancock's Predoctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

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World Health Day 2024: Best Short Speech In English For Students

World Health Day is observed globally on April 7th each year to raise awareness about health issues and to advocate for prioritising health and wellness. Short speeches delivered on such occasions often aim to inspire students and others to adopt healthy habits, overcome challenges, and recognise the benefits of making wellness a priority in their lives.

• Updated - 2024-04-06, 11:41 IST

Speech 1: Investing In Your Most Valuable Asset

Speech 2: the power of prioritising your health.

Speech 3: Your Health, Your Future

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Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister announcing a new Youth Mental Health Fund

From: Department of Finance Canada

That is why, in the budget, we will be announcing a new, $500 million Youth Mental Health Fund. The Fund will help community mental health organizations across the country provide more access to mental health care for younger Canadians right in their communities.

April 9, 2024 - Ottawa, ON

Good morning.

First, I will say a few things about new measures our government is taking through our upcoming federal budget to improve access to mental health services for younger Canadians.

I will then pass it over to Minister Ya'ara Saks who will elaborate on the details of those measures.

Then Mark Holland will speak about his ongoing work to improve health care across Canada.

Finally, Minister Marci Ien will deliver a few remarks.

Over the past two weeks, our government has been out across the country talking about generational fairness.

That’s because today, too many younger Canadians feel as though the deck is stacked against them. They can get a good job, they can work hard, but far too often, the reward of a secure, prosperous middle class life remains out of reach.

We want their hard work to be rewarded. And we have a plan to help every generation—especially younger Canadians—get ahead.

We are doing this by turbocharging the construction of new homes across the country. Among the many new measures we have announced over the past few days is a $15 billion top-up to our Apartment Construction Loan Program. And we are taking new action to protect renters’ rights and unlock pathways for them to become homeowners.

We are making life cost less with measures like building more affordable child care spaces and delivering free contraceptives through our national pharmacare plan.

We are growing the economy in a way that is shared by everyone, including by investing in cutting-edge technologies—like AI—that will boost our productivity and create more good-paying jobs for Canadians.

And today, we are announcing new measures to improve access to mental health services for younger Canadians.

This is a really important part of ensuring generational fairness. We want younger Canadians to have the support they need so they are set up for success.

Because better funding for mental health services means that younger Canadians can get the help they need right when—and where—they need it most.

Today’s announcement builds on the historic investment we made in last year’s budget of nearly $200 billion over 10 years to improve health care for Canadians, including improving access to mental health, substance use, and addictions services.

Thank you very much. I will now pass it over to Minister Saks.

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3 Minute Speech on Mental Health in English for Students

Good Morning everyone, Today I am going to share my views on the topic “Mental health”.

Mental health refers to a person’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being; it influences what they feel and how they think, and behave. The state of cognitive and behavioural well-being is referred to as mental health. It also refers to the absence of mental disease. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.Mental health is a positive value, integral to our wellness. It underpins our ability to shape our lives and our world.

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How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam

A mexican drug cartel is targeting seniors and their timeshares..

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