For diverse communities, we have struggled to secure funding for representative studies that understand mental factors contributing to mental distress or wellness.
This is why this research report by @aakomaproject and @dralfiee is so critical to our work towards more accessible and culturally relevant mental health care for our youth.
This study is intentional in sampling for underrepresented communities and those often left out of mental health studies. Not only that, they assessed for nonbinary gender identity and many more important factors that are typically excluded.
Please please spread the word and look at the full report yourself! They also have useful info sheets for certain community groups that can be easily shared!
See the full report link in the @aakomaproject bio.
#SOMHYOC2025 #SOMHYOC2023 #YouthMentalHealth #EquityInResearch
#TheAAKOMAProject #RepresentationMatters #POCMentalHealth #OptimalMentalHealth
🚨🚨 THE STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS OF COLOR STUDY RESULTS ARE LIVE!🚨🚨
❤️💜💛The AAKOMA Project is proud to announce the launch of the SOMHYOC Survey Results! AAKOMA explored the mental health needs of @ 9000 diverse Youth and Young Adults of Color (including LGBTQIA+ and disabled YYAC) aged 13-25 🙌🏼🙌🏽🙌🏿
👉🏽AAKOMA continues to Raise Consciousness, Empower People, and Change the System by amplifying the voices of young people from racially diverse backgrounds.
✨Help amplify the voices of diverse young people and continue pushing for positive change. Together, we’re creating a future of equity, inclusion, and representation. Check out aakomaproject.org to download the SOMHYOC2025 report and follow @aakomaproject for more!✨
#SOMHYOC2025 #SOMHYOC2023 #YouthMentalHealth #EquityInResearch #TheAAKOMAProject #RepresentationMatters #POCMentalHealth #OptimalMentalHealth #ad
Our young people are INCREDIBLE!! ❤️💛💜 Team AAKOMA accomplished SO MUCH last year, and we couldn’t be more proud.
Check out some of the cool opportunities (look at the reel!) had by our inaugural nonprofit class of the Team AAKOMA youth advisory and leadership board (sidebar: our first youth advisory board was commissioned when we were a psychiatry research lab at Duke in 2007). We are not new to this, we are true to this!
We are thankful to our partners like @mentalhealthcoalition@btwfoundation@ourmindsmatter@adcouncil@afspnational and so many others for holding space to collaborate with our young leaders.
And most of all, we are so grateful to our young people (Pictured here are Amira, Annmary, Yewande, Naysa and Jasmine)
Stay tuned for Team AAKOMA recruitment and applications, coming this spring! 🌸
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#teamaakoma #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness #youthmentalhealth #bipocmentalhealth #bipocmentalhealthmatters #freetherapy #teenmentalhealth #teensuicide #teensofcolor #teenmentalhealthawareness #bipocyouthmentalhealth #youthempowerment #youthleadership #youthofcolor #bipoccommunity #bipoc #mentalhealthresources #aakomaproject #mentalhealthadvocate
Depression doesn't always mean staying in bed, failing classes, or falling apart in ways other people can notice. Sometimes it looks like getting everything done and feeling nothing while you do it.
Functioning while carrying depression is real. And it's one of the loneliest ways to walk with depression, because from the outside, everything looks fine. So you start to wonder if you're just being dramatic. If you're making it up. If you even have the right to feel this way.
You do.
But functioning isn't the same as flourishing. And "holding it together" isn't the same as being okay.
Quick reminder before the weekend:
Self-care isn't selfish. It's not a reward you earn after you've handled everything else. It's maintenance. It's how you stay in the game.
So: what do you need this weekend?
Rest counts. Saying no counts. Doing absolutely nothing counts. Put yourself first, even just for a few hours.
What's one thing you're doing for yourself this weekend? 👇
There's this idea that taking medication means you've hit rock bottom. That it's the last option after everything else has failed. Or that needing it means something is seriously, unfixably wrong with you.
None of it is true. And those beliefs are doing real damage.
Here's what is true:
Medication is a tool. Just like therapy, rest, community, and every other thing that helps you function and feel like yourself. For a lot of people, including young people, it's what makes the other tools work.
Taking medication for your mental health isn't giving up. You don't have to white-knuckle your way through something that has real, proven solutions.
So we want to ask you something real: what does a good day actually look like for you?
Not perfect. Not Instagram-worthy. Just... good.
Maybe it's getting out of bed without a fight. Or laughing at something dumb with your friends. Maybe it's just feeling like yourself for a few hours.
That counts. All of it counts.
Drop your answer below — what makes a day feel good? 👇
For real, fam…Rise and Thrive is out TODAY! Order your copy (or a handful for your group) and let’s dive into making culturally-relevant mental health a reality for our young folks. This is a very exciting day, and we truly hope you find the content, worksheets, exercises and LOVE in Rise and Thrive to be exactly what you need. Lots of love and light to you all! #RiseAndThrive #InstaBooks
You don't have to be a finished product to be worth something.
You're allowed to be figuring it out. Changing your mind. Not knowing yet.
Who you are right now? That's already something worth celebrating.
In just a few hours, Dr. Alfiee’s newest book, Rise and Thrive, will be here.
“Rise and Thrive is your mental health practice space.”
That’s Dr. Alfiee talking about her new book. She created it with a beautiful vision in mind: that Youth of Color—and all young people—could have a place to process their feelings, honor their identities, and build skills for #optimalmentalhealth.
We are so happy to support this terrific book and hope you will preorder a copy for you, for a teen, for a caregiver… anyone who is young (or young at heart) and needs a way to intentionally work on their mental health.
Preorder at the link in bio.
Or visit .
#RiseAndThrive #YouthOfColor #OptimalMentalHealth #RefinedHoneyMedia
Not sure where to start? We built something for that.
The "Your Tools" section on The AAKOMA Project website is full of real resources, mental health tools, guides, and support designed with young people in mind.
No waitlists. No jargon. Just tools you can use.
Save this post. 🔗Head to the link in our bio and explore what's there for you — then share it with one person who needs it.
