When it comes to mental health, we all have a personal story to tell. One of every four Americans will deal with some type of mental illness in their lifetime. It’s safe to say everyone wants to expand our capacity to grow and experience the fullness of a healthy, vibrant life. But the next great frontier of exploration has begun. The new exploration of the human brain connects us all, increasing our insight, raising compassion and deepening our relationships at home, at work and in our communities. New innovations and insights offer hope to every community, family, and indeed every one of us, in one way or another.
Dramatic shifts are taking place in remote research labs, treatment facilities, universities, incubators and every place working to unleash the power of mental well-being for those we care about most. Like a great splash in the pool of human potential, new insights into our brains ripple outward in countless, untold, surprisingly wonderful ways.
Thankfully, incredible gains in science, technology, treatment and holistic care have come together in an exciting new age of neuroscience and mental health. The definition of mental vitality and emotional wellness are being rewritten every day. President Obama compared this new era of mental discovery to the moon exploration when he issued a $100 million call to action in 2014.
This age of mental discovery has tossed open the doors of possibility for the mental well-being of everyone we care about. It is a call of hope for the nearly one-third of Americans who suffer from various mental illnesses, often quietly, burdened by stigma born from a lack of understanding.
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
World Health Organization
Mental health impacts everyone in any number of ways. Mental wellness, a thriving state of well-being improved through new research on the brain, helps us all to:
- Engage fully in our work, play and express our potential
- Adapt to change and stress across the lifespan
- Have empathic and satisfying relationships
We want to seize this compelling opportunity to nurture our brains, minds, relationships and communities. Collectively, Battery Powered will support promising approaches that restore and promote wellness. We’ll take a look at how investments in emerging science and long-standing solutions can help anyone build mental wellness and resilience throughout life.
Our Approach
This theme will seek breakthroughs, evidence-based practices and holistic models that target the following approaches to mental health:
Brain research from genome studies to brain imaging provide new insights into our mental and emotional well-being throughout each stage of life. Innovations and research can unlock our potential for increasing health and vitality.
With renewed hope in the brain’s adaptability throughout the lifespan has come increased understanding of the complexity of both mental illness and well-being. A wide range of treatments and health strategies can support living with and healing mental health challenges.
As insight into the human brain and mind grows, we learn how to dissolve long-standing stigmas that become obstacles to wellness. Advocacy efforts penetrate isolation and despair associated with mental distress and support people through the strength of communities of understanding.
Mental Health Throughout the Lifespan
Read next topic:
Science & Innovation →
RESOURCES
Blumberg MS, Freeman JH, Robinson SR, editors. Oxford Handbook of Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience. New York: Oxford University Press; 2010
Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. “Althernative Approaches to Mental Health Care.”
http://cpr.bu.edu/resources/newsletter/alternative-approaches-mental-health-care
Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. “Brain Plasticity and Behaviour in the Developing Brain.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222570/
National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Mental Illness Facts and Numbers”
http://www2.nami.org/factsheets/mentalillness_factsheet.pdf
National Institute of Mental Health. “Health and Education: Statistics.”
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/index.shtml
The White House Briefing Room. “Fact Sheet: New Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence and Make Our Communities Safer.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/04/fact-sheet-new-executive-actions-reduce-gun-violence-and-make-our
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Mental Illness Surveillance Among Adults in the United States."
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6003a1.htm?s_cid=su6003a1_w