The Local Optimist Digest #15

Welcome to The Local Optimist Digest, your crib sheet for the latest news in mental health. Whether you want to know how the government is (or is not) investing in our wellbeing, discover the latest research on how the mind impacts the body, or find out which celebrities are helping destigmatize the conversation by opening up about their own mental health struggles, we’ll be covering it all here every week. This week, we're looking at Amazon's expansion into mental healthcare, athletes promoting psychedelics, and a big mental health announcement from Jonah Hill.

Despite growing destigmatization, many mental health myths remain

There's no question that great strides have been made in mental health over the last decade, but many harmful mental health myths remain, as a new piece in The Guardian points out. One of the most common is that "mental illnesses are overdiagnosed," with many people believing that an increased focus on mental health is overblown and has reduced people's self-reliance. Then there are the beliefs about SSRIs – that they don't work and simply numb people's feelings – despite there being lots of evidence to the contrary. While it's important to regularly interrogate our beliefs about mental health, particularly when it comes to pharmaceuticals, black-and-white statements are probably not the best way to go about it.  READ

Don't hate us, but sleeping with a partner is better for your mental health

Sorry to be couple-pilled, but it looks like sleeping with a partner is better than sleeping alone. A new study published in the journal of the Sleep Research Society has found that people who sleep with their partners not only have a stronger relationship but also lower depression, anxiety, and stress scores and greater social support. Interestingly, while you might think sharing a bed would be more disruptive, the study also found that those sleeping with partners suffer from fewer disturbances and fall asleep faster. Womp. READ

Another reason burnout sucks? It's bad for your brain

We all know by now that burnout is bad, increasing our stress and fatigue levels and decreasing our overall life satisfaction. But working ourselves into the ground can have significant impacts on our brain, too. Recent research compared 40 people who had all worked more than 60 hours a week for many years to a control group and found them to have enlarged amygdala and weaker connections between the amygdala and brain areas linked to emotional distress. In layman's terms, this means that the brain's alarm system that signals when you need to be upset becomes overactive, while its ability to use logic, perspective, and coping mechanisms to counteract that feeling is weakened. Oof. READ

Athletes are normalizing the use of psychedelics for mental health

Drugs have historically been a non grata topic in sports, with any (often illegal) usage of them remaining hush-hush until a big exposé comes out. But that may change with psychedelics, whose 70s-era stigma has decreased over the last few years as research has proved their usage to be beneficial for mental health concerns ranging from PTSD to depression. NFL players Kenny Stills and Aaron Rodgers are the first to have opened up about their use of drugs like ketamine and ayahuasca for depression and developing greater self-love, respectively, but experts in the space believe that more athletes will speak out about their psychedelic experiences over the next few years as the conversation normalizes on a broader scale. READ

Oh god, oh no: Amazon is expanding into mental healthcare

Today in "Bezos, can you not?" Amazon plans to add mental health support to its primary-care service (a thing that, yes, apparently exists) Amazon Care in partnership with the mental healthcare app Ginger. The service, whose launch date is unknown, will provide Amazon Care users with on-demand access to mental health experts like licensed therapists or psychiatrists. Listen, we don't want to jump to negative conclusions, but given how, er, complicated telehealth has been for mental healthcare so far (see: BetterHelp), we just feel like it maybe shouldn't be Prime-i-fied. READ

Plot twist – gaming might be the next frontier in mental health

Playing video games has long been shrouded in stigma – that those who partake are lonelier and more depressed than their peers, and that, overall, it's an unhealthy pursuit. But in a new piece for Fortune, Ariana Huffington highlights new research disproving these claims and argues that gaming could actually be the next frontier in mental health. New games are launching specifically to target mental health concerns, including the FDA-approved Endeavor Rx, a racing game said to help children with ADHD. DeepWell, a startup creating games specifically targeting mental health, will debut its first game (intended to treat depression and anxiety) next year. I guess you can tell your mom she was wrong? READ

"Fake it 'til you make it" is often framed as career advice, but experts say it can actually be helpful for those suffering from depression and anxiety, too. More formally known as behavioral activation, the idea is that by participating in behaviors you're not in the mood to do, your mood will eventually shift for the better.

When we're in a slump, we tend to participate in behaviors that only reinforce our feelings of sadness, such as isolating from friends or avoiding daily tasks or rituals. This week, try doing the exact opposite of what you want to do in those moments: socialize, work out, cook yourself a nice meal, take an indulgent bath, or get outside for a long walk to your favorite music.As one therapist put it: "Deciding to stay in bed and going on a morning walk release very different chemicals in our brain [and] create starkly varying thoughts in our mind that then reinforce or break our emotional state."

Selena Gomez's mental health startup is valued at $100 million

 Wondermind, a mental health startup co-founded by the actress and singer Selena Gomez, is raising funds at a valuation of $100 million in an early-stage round led by Serena Williams's venture fund Serena Ventures. The company is focused on promoting "mental fitness," a concept that instills the same urgency and importance we've given to regular exercise in the practice of a daily wellness routine that keeps your mind right. Gomez has been open about her battles with anxiety and depression over the years and in 2020, she opened up about her experience being bipolar. READ

Jonah Hill will take a break from promoting his films to protect his mental health

Our relatable king Jonah Hill published an open letter yesterday announcing that he would be taking a long break from in-person promotion of any of his upcoming films in order to protect his mental health. Inspired by the yet-to-be-released documentary he directed, Stutz, in which Hill and his therapist discuss his mental health issues, Hill wrote: "Through this journey of self-discovery within the film, I have come to the understanding that I have spent nearly 20 years experiencing anxiety attacks... exacerbated by media appearances. You won't see me out there promoting this film, or any of my upcoming films, while I take this important step to protect myself." Once again, we bow down. READ

Child Mind Institute

In keeping with our August (back-to-school) mission to highlight groups that are helping combat the growing youth mental health crisis, we'd like to shout out the Child Mind Institute which has provided clinical care, public education, and community programs in support of children's mental health since 2009. The nonprofit runs clinical centers in New York and San Francisco, as well as a telehealth program, focused on treatments for everything from ADHD and OCD to depression and bipolar disorder. To make use of their Family Resource Center or donate to the cause, head HERE.

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