Our communities, economies, politics and more shape our mental health.
 | | Photograph by Bobby Doherty for The New York Times |
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Americans are talking a lot about their mental health these days. Social media influencers openly discuss their diagnoses; the language of trauma and self-care has found its way into everyday conversation; topics from teen suicides to psychedelics are frequent subjects of extended consideration in major newspapers and magazines. Maybe you've been talking about mental health more, too — your own, your family's. Maybe it's not as good as it used to be. |
There's no doubt that a national conversation about mental health is important and timely. But at Times Opinion, we think something has been missing from it. Mental health is a personal experience, of course, but it's also something that is very much shaped by the world around us: our communities, our economies, our politics, our medical institutions. It's important to remember that. |
That's why today we are launching "It's Not Just You," a Times Opinion series that we hope will make you think differently about mental health — and consequently, help make all of our mental health better. |
The opening of our series helps illustrate what a more complete conversation around mental health might look like. Among other pieces, Danielle Carr, an anthropologist, has written an essay arguing that mental health is a political issue, even if many wish it weren't; the writer Rachel Aviv describes how the language of doctors and medicine shapes the stories we're able to tell about our own minds; Huw Green, a psychologist, writes about the rapid ascendance over the past 10 years of the term "mental health" and who it leaves out. |
Over the next month, in three more chapters, we'll publish an essay on the fraught intersection of mental health, racism and hate crimes; a photo essay on the places people go for emotional support that aren't therapists' offices; an investigation into the so-called troubled teen industry and much more. |
That we are more interested than ever in talking about mental health is a good thing. But the goal of this project is to channel some of that energy into a conversation that puts individuals' mental health into a broader context. We think that we can only improve our collective mental health if we recognize that the problems — and the solutions — are all of ours. In other words: It's not just you. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. |
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