In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Child Mind Institute has launched Getting Better Together. This campaign features inspiring homemade videos from celebrities sharing their personal stories to support kids who are especially struggling during the pandemic. A new video will be released each day highlighting how we can all recover from a traumatic event or a mental health challenge, providing hope and sharing the important message that reaching out for help is the first powerful step.
On Star Wars Day, Actress Billie Lourd shares her advice on dealing with grief. She said, “As any of you who have lost a loved one know, it can make you feel extremely alone, but I’m here to tell you that you’re not. Grief has become even more universal during this unprecedented and awful year and more people than you realize might be going through exactly what you’re going through. So, don’t isolate and stay in your head, reach out to your loved ones and friends. Find a support group online. Talk to a therapist.”
Other celebrities including Emma Stone (a member of the Child Mind Institute board of directors), Zoe Saldana, Bebe Rexha, Harry Shum Jr, Liza Koshy, Gabourey Sidibe, Tan France, Bobby Berk, Jordana Brewster, Jazz Jennings, Nicole Scherzinger, Diego Boneta, Lexi Underwood and Meg Donnelly are among those who made videos, along with kids and teens from across the country. The videos will be shared throughout the month of May – Mental Health Awareness Month – on the Child Mind Institute’s social platforms and website.
“Our children continue to face great challenges after a year of far reaching disruption brought by the pandemic,” says Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, president of the Child Mind Institute. “The messages from these role models and brave children go a long way to offer hope, encouragement and inspiration.”
“We know the basis of mental health begins in childhood and plays into well-being throughout life,” says Kimberley Goode, senior vice president of External Affairs at Blue Shield of California. “That’s why we’re pleased to sponsor the Child Mind Institute’s Getting Better Together campaign. It’s a dynamic approach to help reduce stigma and get more people talking about youth mental health; it aligns really well with the goals of our BlueSky initiative.”
