Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager for the Institute for Public Health
Mental Health Awareness Month (or Mental Health Month) is recognized in the U.S. each May and has been observed every year since 1949. The month’s commemoration is intended to help eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness by raising awareness of mental health conditions and those who have them.
The Institute for Public Health commemorates Mental Health Month by recognizing Faculty Scholars who are working to illuminate issues and impact surrounding mental health. Here are just a few examples of that work:
- Institute Faculty Scholar, Sarah Moreland-Russel and team conducted a study on the interaction of school and workplace policies, and economic and environmental effects on mental health. Read more in this story in WashU’s The Source.
- Scholars Leopoldo J. Cabassa, Amy McQueen and Matthew W. Kreuter and colleagues studied Transportation and other social needs as markers of mental health conditions, which was published in the Journal of Transport and Health.
- Jessi Gold, faculty scholar and mental health expert, spoke with St. Louis Public Radio regarding the nursing mental health crisis. Gold also commented in the Washington Post about Elon Musk’s recent ill-informed tweet on antidepressants. Read Gold’s tips for a self check-in.
- John Constantino, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine and his team are leveraging a $15 million grant (awarded to WashU and St. Louis Children’s Hospital) to “change how pediatric mental health care is provided in the St. Louis area by identifying and managing children’s behavioral health problems before they turn into crises.” Read more.
- The Institute’s Center for Health Economics & Policy is working with Missouri state officials to highlight funding sources that strengthen mental health programs. Read about it here.
Learn more about the Institute for Public Health Faculty Scholar Program and read more about the exemplary work of these multidisciplinary faculty here.