1. Thomas Insel

In his TED talk about mental health, Thomas Insel guides us towards a new understanding of mental illness. He addresses these brain diseases and how to reframe our perspective. He starts off talking about diseases like Leukemia and heart disease and the rate of mortality as a result. Early detection and early intervention are keys to changing the track of mental illnesses in our society. I find his speech amazing and inspiring.

2. Ruby Wax

Comedian Ruby Wax makes an impression in her talk with mental illness. She opens up about her breakdown to bring her story to life. She was told to “perk up” by friends during her hospitalizations. “How come every other organ in your body can get sick and get sympathy except the brain?” Inspiring! Check this chick out!

3. Vikram Patel

Vikram Patel unearths the differences in the quality of care between physical and mental diseases. The gap is larger than we can afford. Patel offers one of my favorite TED talks about mental health. Mental health affects everyone, globally, so why do some still think people are making it up? I think everyone should hear what this man has to say.

4. David Steindl-Rast

Mental health includes happiness. David Steindl-Rast talks about how happiness stems from gratitude. Expressing gratitude more frequently increases your happiness by reminding you of the important things in life. I know that may sound cliché but it’s true! Listen to what Steindl-Rast humbly has to say, then you won’t still think it’s just a corny catch-phrase.

5. Glennon Doyle Melton

Glennon Doyle Melton developed Bulimia Nervosa at age 8 but her mental health concerns didn’t stop there. She became an alcoholic in college and began abusing drugs. By telling her story, Doyle Melton talks about the hope in each new day and how amazing that thought can be. She definitely has a strong message to take to heart.

6. Eleanor Longden

Looking at this beautiful blonde, it’s hard to imagine her struggle with Schizophrenia. The voices started slowly but began to build. You can read stories or memoirs about what it’s like to have a mental illness but Longden does a fabulous job bringing it to life. Mental health isn’t the absence of symptoms; it’s something that needs to be worked at. A talk worth watching.

7. Andy Puddicombe

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing awareness to the present moment without judging it as good or bad. Andy Puddicombe left his career to become a Buddhist monk, which opened his awareness to the importance of mindfulness. Being mindful helps keep predicaments in perspective to ward away any unnecessary stress. It can improve mental health by a considerable amount, even if it begins at only 10 mindful minutes a day.

It’s important to take care of your mental health because without it, you’re going to burn out. These are a few TED talks that I think shed a new perspective on mental health and illness. What do you find helpful? What’s your favorite TED talk about mental health?