Happy Friday and Welcome to The Mental Minute!

We are heading into Memorial Day Weekend which serves as the unofficial start of summer — celebrated with travel, outdoor gatherings, and sales. It’s a solemn day of remembrance honoring all American military personnel who died in service to their country.

Originally known as "Decoration Day," it began in 1868 in the aftermath of the Civil War as a time to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which standardized Memorial Day as the last Monday in May to create a convenient three-day weekend.

Enjoy your three-day weekend!

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The world is facing a mental health crisis of historic proportions — and the numbers are staggering. A landmark new study found that nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide were living with a mental disorder in 2023 — a 95.5% increase since 1990 — with anxiety and depression leading the surge.

Most alarming is a first in research history: the peak burden of mental disorders is now falling on 15 to 19-year-olds, a critical window for brain development where interrupted growth can have lifelong consequences.

Read More: Nearly 1.2 Billion People Worldwide Are Living With Mental Disorders. The Number Has Been Growing (CNN)

Meta just settled the first-ever case set for trial in which a school district — a small rural Kentucky community — accused social media companies of deliberately designing their platforms to keep young users hooked, driving anxiety, depression, and self-harm among students and leaving schools to absorb the consequences.

This case is just the tip of the iceberg — roughly 1,200 school districts across the country are pursuing similar claims, with districts like Los Angeles and New York City — serving over 1.2 million students combined — also among the plaintiffs.

Read More: Meta Settles First US Case Over School Costs Tied To Youth Mental Health, Court Filing Shows (Reuters)

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is the unifying voice for America’s community mental health and addiction treatment organizations. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the non-profit represents over 3,400 member organizations that provide care to more than 10 million adults and children.

The organization’s three main pillars include public policy advocacy, mental health first aid training, and capacity building for health systems.

Read More: The National Council for Mental Wellbeing | Advocacy Handbook

Experts from psychologists to Zen monks agree that repetitive physical tasks like sweeping, mopping, and decluttering are naturally regulating for the nervous system — predictable, structured, and offering an immediate, visible sense of completion that many emotional tasks simply can't provide.

The secret is slowing down and focusing on the sensory experience — the rhythm of movement, the temperature of the water — so cleaning transforms from dreaded chore into a genuine mindfulness practice. Remember that healing doesn't always happen on a couch — sometimes it happens with a broom in your hand and good music playing!

Read More: A Mop, A Broom And A Calmer Mind. Why Some Find Mental Health Benefits In Everyday Tasks (AP News)

MYTH: Mental illness is more common in some racial groups than others.

FACT: The baseline rates of mental health conditions are broadly similar across all racial and ethnic groups. However, systemic barriers and cultural factors create stark disparities in treatment and outcomes.

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.

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