🎀 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international health campaign held every October to increase education, promote early detection, and raising funds for research. It was founded in October 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and a pharmaceutical company. The universal symbol of the campaign, the Pink Ribbon, was widely popularized in the early 1990s.

Let’s continue to educate the public on the critical role of routine screenings, like mammograms and self-exams, which help catch cancer early when it is most treatable. Let’s also continue to honor survivors, remember those lost, and support individuals currently navigating a diagnosis.

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🗞 ‘I Was Dealing With a Lot,’ ‘It Was Hard’ — Browns QB Deshaun Watson Opens Up About Bouncing Back From Mental Health Struggles. Deshaun Watson opened up about the mental and emotional toll of the past several years, saying he was “dealing with a lot” as public criticism and other pressures mounted around him. He describes the experience as difficult but says that learning to manage what he was going through took time, suggesting that his mental state was as significant a challenge as the physical obstacles he faced. The story places his comments in the context of his return to the Browns and the intense scrutiny surrounding his career. Read more at Yahoo! Sports

🗞 Kate Spade New York becomes inaugural donor to the Irina Foundation at it’s Fifth Annual Global Summit on Women’s Health. Kate Spade New York has become the inaugural donor to the Irina Foundation, announced at the brand’s fifth annual Global Summit on Women’s Mental Health. The 2026 summit focused particularly on Gen Z women, with conversations around resilience, belonging, authenticity, movement, music and the role of community in mental wellbeing. The Irina Foundation aims to promote inclusion and mental wellbeing through organized sports and arts programs, particularly for underserved communities. Read more at Yahoo! Finance

🗞 This amount of deli meat associated with higher dementia risk in compelling new review.  A new review is examining the relationship between processed meat, ultra-processed foods, and brain health. Researchers found that eating an additional 25 grams of processed meat per day—roughly one or two slices of deli meat—was associated with higher rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in one large observational study, while the broader review found evidence connecting diets high in ultra-processed foods with poorer brain health. Researchers stress that these findings show associations, not proof that deli meat or ultra-processed foods directly cause dementia, and more long-term research is needed. Read more at Fox News

🗞 Walking to school slashes risk of poor mental health, study suggests. New research suggesting that more daily movement may be linked to better mental health in young adolescents. Researchers studying more than 5,500 children found that those taking at least 12,000 steps a day had about 22% fewer anxiety, low-mood, attention and behavioral problems than those taking fewer than 5,000 steps; even smaller increases in daily steps were associated with better outcomes. Read more at Daily Mail

Mental Health: In Crisis? Call or Text 988

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press ‘1’ or Text 838255

Youth Helpline: 2NDFLOOR - (888) 222-2228

National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE (7233)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: (800) 273-TALK (8255)

Addiction: Start Your Recovery - (800) 662-4357

Apple Has New Parental Controls for Your Kid’s iPhone. Here Are the 6 Settings to Know About. This NY Times Wirecutter article looks at Apple’s newly expanded parental-control tools in iOS 27, designed to give parents more visibility and control over how children use their devices. New features include Time Allowances for categories such as social media, games and entertainment, schedules for when apps can be used, “Ask to Browse” for website approval, communication controls, and expanded protections against disturbing content. Apple says the tools were developed with input from child-safety and health experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. Read More at NYTimes.com

MYTH: Mental illness is caused by personal weakness.

FACT: Mental illness can be caused by environmental or biological factors, or a combination of both. Some people are more susceptible because they have a stressful job, difficult home life, or were the witness or victim of violence; while others may have a genetic predisposition. In any case, mental illness is not the fault of the person it afflicts.

The Mental Minute is your #1 source for the latest mental health news, tips, key resources and product reviews. Our goal is to make mental health an everyday conversation.

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Thanks, and Be Well.

— The Mental Minute