Introducing Mental Health is Political
A newsletter about the intersection of mental health and politics.
Welcome to Mental Health is Political!
I have been thinking about starting a newsletter or blog for awhile now. For some time I was thinking I would write a newsletter about pop culture and mental health, two of my favorite seemingly unrelated things that often do in fact intersect. Spoiler: that’s not what this newsletter is about. I’ve had an empty folder with a blank word document titled “Mental Health and Pop Culture” on my Google drive since May 2021, and for some reason I could never get it off the ground.
It wasn’t until recent events in Nashville, my home on and off for the past decade, that I finally felt compelled to put pen to paper. I am a licensed clinical psychologist who spends most of my time doing research, with a focus on adolescent mental health, namely suicide and depression. In my outside-of-work life, I am politically engaged and spend much of my time keeping up with current events, emailing and calling legislators, tweeting (often angrily) about what’s happening in local and national politics, and attending local events for progressive causes. Yet, I’ve always felt my political self was somewhat disconnected from my academic self - I never quite knew how to merge the two, even though I firmly believe that mental health is political. With my research largely focused on individual and family-level processes like coping and emotion regulation, I wasn’t sure where my outrage about events happening outside of my day to day research duties fit in. And then Covenant happened.
On March 27, 2023, a person went into a local elementary school less than 10 minutes down the road from my office and killed 6 people, 3 of whom were elementary school children. People jumped to focus on the shooter’s gender identity, as though that was somehow the cause of this horrific event despite the reality that they had access to multiple assault rifles and other guns. People jumped to say all we need right now are thoughts and prayers because we can’t politicize such an event if we want to properly grieve. People jumped to say more guns, more officers, as if more guns has solved the US-specific problem of mass gun violence over the past two decades. People jumped to the conclusion that this was a mental health problem, as though a DSM diagnosis and therapy would have surely prevented such a crime from happening. And with each poorly conceived news article and Twitter thread, as each Tennessee GOP leader made a statement about their thoughts and prayers, as “mental health” was thrown around without any clarity about what exactly folks meant by the term, I kept thinking to myself - where are the mental health professionals’ voices in this conversation?
As I sit here two weeks later reading the heartbreaking news of yet another mass shooting just a few hours up the road in Louisville, KY, I decided that now is as good a time as ever to start writing and sharing resources at the intersection of politics and mental health. I am energized to bring my over ten years of training and experience in mental health research and clinical services to the conversation. I am also excited to highlight other voices in this space, as I know there are many great activists already doing very important work to uplift mental health in the conversation. And so I am finally channeling this energy into something tangible: Mental Health is Political.
What exactly is Mental Health is Political all about? This newsletter will be an avenue to share stories of mental health in the news, with commentary grounded in the best available scientific research aimed at debunking false narratives about mental health and discussing the role mental health plays in current events. Mental Health is Political will also be used to share resources and action items that you can take if you feel inspired to use your voice towards progress.
To be clear: this newsletter is decidedly political because mental health is political. I believe that we can and should make this world a better place for everyone in it, that our political beliefs and actions have a direct impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our communities, and that we all stand to benefit if we build systems that prioritize our community’s mental health above profit and power. If you believe these things too, or if you aren’t so sure but are curious to learn more, I hope you’ll subscribe and share with your network.
What can you expect from Mental Health is Political each week?
Mental Health in the News: Each week, we’ll review news items related to mental health. We’ll focus broadly on progressive issues, and highlight things you need to know to stay informed. This will include the good, the not so good, and the this is bad, y’all. So often science is missing from the conversation, so as we review the news, we will discuss each story in the context of the best research evidence currently available.
Action Items: The newsletter will highlight ways that you can take meaningful action each week on issues that matter to you. This will include sharing petitions, fundraisers, events, and other opportunities to take action.
Research Round Up: Mental Health is Political will also break down relevant research each week on topics discussed in the news.
The first Mental Health is Political newsletter will launch Tuesday, May 2. I look forward to your input and feedback as we build this community, and I am grateful if you have made it this far reading!
Stay tuned.
Alex Bettis, PhD