Depression affects more than
Whether it’s a safe space to anonymously share your feelings, useful self-care methods, or the latest in mental health research, you can turn to these blogs and know that you aren’t alone.
Time to Change
Each year, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences a mental illness. That’s why Time to Change, a social movement with a focus on shifting attitudes around mental health, believes it’s so important to talk about it. Time to Change publishes candid perspectives on depression written by people who live with it. Readers can find themselves in stories about feeling written off or misunderstood, battling mental health stigma in the workplace, or not getting the right kind of help from well-intentioned loved ones.
NAMI
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the country. They’re dedicated to breaking down stigma about mental health and making life better for everyone who has a mental illness. In addition to their public awareness events like Mental Illness Awareness Week, they run a blog that goes in-depth about everything from mental health and social media to maintaining healthy friendships with mental illness and growing up without mental health support.
HealthyPlace
What do you do when both you and your child have depression? How do you deal with a crisis when living with depression? The detailed articles on HealthyPlace cover these and many other questions. HealthyPlace provides comprehensive information on mental health issues, medications, treatments, news and developments, and more for people with mental health concerns and their loved ones. There’s also an entire section filled with free psychological tests you can take to determine if you have depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and more.
Therapy for Black Girls
If you think therapy might help you but it seems irrelevant and far away, this blog is here to help. Written especially for Black women and girls, this blog provides information and resources to get the mental health help you need now. Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is an Atlanta-based therapist who founded the blog in 2014 after being a college counselor. She wanted to help remove the reluctance and stigma of seeking mental health help in Black communities. The blog provides a national list of therapists who focus on work with Black women. You can contact them from the site and make an appointment.
Depressed While Black
Imadé Nibokun Borha is a Black writer and social justice advocate who writes and curates stories about mental health from an African American perspective. On her blog she advocates for social change to make mental health treatment available and relevant to the Black community. As a Black woman living with clinical depression and borderline personality disorder, she writes from experience. Depressed While Black began as Imadé’s 2015 Columbia University Master of Fine Arts thesis and grew into an online community where mostly young Black people can find mental health issues addressed honestly and openly.
Blurt
Blurt introduces their blog to readers this way: “Think of us as the knowing nod. You’ve seen it — a slight bob of the head, often accompanied by a smile. A little movement that says, ‘I understand,’ ‘I’m listening,’ and ‘I’m here for you.’” They’re a social enterprise with a mission to help people with depression by talking about it. The blog covers how to start talking openly about your mental health, post-panic attack self-care, supporting a loved one with anxiety, and how physical pain impacts mental health. Blurt is serious about their work, which they feel “not only changes lives, but saves them.”
TalkSpace
Many people know TalkSpace as a source for online therapy. They work to make it more accessible and affordable for people to get mental health treatment. They also have a blog with resources on specific issues. Their posts on depression cover everything from applying to jobs while depressed, to how a breast cancer diagnosis might affect your mental health, to parenting with depression. The blog is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about mental health, whether they have a diagnosis or not, including those who are supporting someone else with mental illness. It can also be helpful for medical providers, caregivers, and other support workers.
Erika’s Lighthouse
Ginny and Tom Neuckranz started Erika’s Lighthouse after losing their teenage daughter, Erika, to depression. This loss opened their eyes to a community of young people in need. Teenage depression is often experienced in isolation and silence. This blog aims to break the stigma of depression and educate teens, parents, and teachers about teenage depression. Visitors to the blog will find relatable posts that are helpful to teens and parents alike.
HeadsUpGuys
Depression in men has long been surrounded by strong stigma. Myths like “depression is a sign of weakness” and “feeling sad isn’t manly” can be debilitating thoughts that prevent men from seeking help. HeadsUpGuys aims to destroy these myths and empower men with the tools they need to combat depression. On this blog, you’ll find posts from men of all walks of life, including professional athletes, on how they experience and deal with depression. Visitors will also find resources to take action and find help.
If you have a favorite blog you’d like to nominate, please email us at bestblogs@healthline.com.