Brenda Statz lost her husband Leon, a 57-year-old farmer and father of three “after a long-fought battle with depression.” But the Loganville family’s story is about more than mental health among farmers in the American heartland.
The U.S. mental health crisis is real. However, so is our opportunity to meet it.
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 40% of high school students reported persistently poor mental health, with 20% seriously considering suicide.
In a new study published in the Community Mental Health Journal, we highlight the crucial role of frontline caregivers, often referred to as “Behavioral Health Support Specialists.”
Courage is the defining quality of people with mental and behavioral health challenges, who brave daunting internal and external challenges to seek help. Courage is also the key ingredient in the philanthropic work America needs to overcome the mental health crisis now besetting the nation.
We interviewed representatives of 17 national, regional, and local foundations—with assets ranging from just under $1 million to $12 billion (and a mean of $2.2 billion, median of $130 million)—regarding their experiences funding mental and behavioral health projects.
Digital apps can bridge the gap between the fractured, unsustainable status quo to the inclusive, equitable, healthier future. By focusing on social returns while the market focuses on financial returns, philanthropy can catalyze these transformative innovations, reaching millions, even tens of millions of patients needlessly suffering without treatment, and shaping the future of both technology and mental health.