October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. The month is highlighted by two pivotal days with National Depression Screening Day on Thursday, Oct. 8, and World Mental Health Day Saturday, Oct. 10. Leading the way in this month-long push is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Established by an act of Congress in 1990 and set on the calendar for the first full week of October, it was created to educate the public, combat stigma, and raise awareness about mental health...

For 23 years, my world has been defined by concrete walls, the jarring slam of iron gates, and the constant, cold reminder that my physical freedom is completely out of my hands. But throughout all these years of isolation from the world, the strongest bars I have ever faced aren’t the ones made of steel. My greatest battles have been during the darkest of nights where severe depression took hold. I have looked straight into the quiet, heavy whispers of suicidal thoughts at times, knowing all...

The United States has more people in prison than any other country in the world. In fact, while the U.S. has roughly only 4-5% of the world’s population, it has more than 20% of the world’s incarcerated population. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, 95% of those people will one day return home to local communities. However, the sad fact is nearly two thirds of those people will end up back behind bars within three years. Yes, the good old “land of the free, and home of the brave” is...