Mental Health:  / Optional (Choose 2)

Mental Health is a relatively new conversation, if not altogether a new topic of study. Unfortunately, the history of mental health services in the U.S. is bleak, if not utterly traumatizing. In summary, the horror of insane asylums isn’t entirely unfounded.

People were genuinely afraid to be enrolled into an asylum, because they originated as a place to sequester “undesirables,” defined as “a person considered to be objectionable in some way” away from the public (Oxford Dictionary). The asylum’s demographics of people primarily included gender minorities, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and BIPOC communities were predominantly affected negatively by mental health “treatment.” Thus, mentioning the asylums, or mental health, was taboo.

Watch this video to learn more about mental healthcare for diverse communities.

Watch this video to learn more about the rise of mental health issues.

Consider how conversations around mental health legislation and practices have evolved over the decades.

Directions: Choose 2 articles to read.

American Psychological Association. “Stress in America 2023: A Nation Recovering from Collective Trauma.” apa.org, 2023.

The Trevor Project. “2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People.” thetrevorproject.org, 2023.

Todd, Hannah; Martin, Eliza. “Children of Immigrants and Their Mental Health Needs.” Think Global Health, 20 Aug. 2020.

Winton, Jeff. “Confronting Mental Health Challenges in Rural America.” National Alliance on Mental Illness, 17 Nov. 2022.