Editor’s Note

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month to all mental health law practitioners.  

Observed in May in the United States since 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month was begun by Mental Health America (MHA), previously known as the National Association for Mental Health. During Mental Health Awareness Month, organizations raise awareness and educate the public about mental illnesses—including the realities of living with serious conditions—and strategies for attaining mental health and wellness. Activities are also focused on suicide prevention and reducing the stigma associated with mental illnesses.

The theme for 2025 Mental Health Awareness Month is “Turn Awareness into Action.” The Mental Health America toolkit provided materials for outreach activities to “celebrate the progress we’ve made in recognizing the importance of mental health—and challenging us to turn understanding into meaningful steps toward change.”

The Mental Health Month ribbon is green, symbolizing hope, strength, and emotional support for those affected by mental illness.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I am taking the liberty of sharing some inspirational quotes:

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.”
— Glenn Close, American actress

“We would never tell someone with a broken leg that they should stop wallowing and get it together. We don’t consider taking medication for an ear infection something to be ashamed of. We shouldn’t treat mental health conditions any differently.”
— Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States

“Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but, importantly, you are not the rain.”
— Matt Haig, author

“You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle.”
— Julian Seifter, author

“The advice I’d give to somebody that’s silently struggling is, you don’t have to live that way. You don’t have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent. You can live well with a mental health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it’s really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.”
— Demi Lovato, American singer and songwriter

“I found that with depression, one of the most important things you can realize is that you’re not alone. You’re not the first to go through it, you’re not gonna be the last to go through it,”
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, American actor and professional wrestler

“People feel so much shame about [mental health], so if, by talking about it, I can even have an impact on one person, that would be awesome.”
— Sophie Turner, English actress

“I think it’s really important to take the stigma away from mental health… My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth.” 
— Kerry Washington, American actress

“Your mental health is everything — prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.”
— Mel Robbins, American author

“It is okay to have depression, it is okay to have anxiety and it is okay to have an adjustment disorder. We need to improve the conversation. We all have mental health in the same way we all have physical health.”
— Prince Harry

“Being vulnerable is actually a strength and not a weakness — that’s why more and more mental health is such an important thing to talk about. It’s the same as being physically sick. And when you keep all those things inside, when you bottle them up, it makes you ill.”
— Cara Delevingne, English model and actress

“My depression isn’t something that I suffer from, but it’s not something that I’m cured of. It’s just a thing I have to manage. And so the more I learn about it, the more I learn about myself, the more I learn about my traumas and triggers, the better I am at being proactive and heading it off before it can, you know, cause a lot of damage.”
‍— John Moe, American writer and radio personality

“We are not our trauma. We are not our brain chemistry. That’s part of who we are, but we’re so much more than that.”
― Sam J. Miller, American author

“If you know someone who’s depressed please resolve to never ask them why. Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather. Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it is one of the kindest, noblest and best things you will ever do.”
— Stephen Fry, English actor, comedian, writer, director, narrator, and broadcaster

“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of the world but those who fight and win battles that others do not know anything about.”
— Jonathan Harnisch, American author

“To anyone out there who’s hurting — it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength.”
— Barack Obama, 44th U.S. President

“If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl, but by all means, keep moving.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr., American human rights activist

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”
— Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Ancient Roman philosopher