WBFO’s Mental Health Initiative is to normalize the conversation about mental illness by bringing this issue from the shadows into everyday light. This two-year project will provide in-depth coverage of mental health issues and help to build the mental health literacy of our community.
WBFO's Mental Health Initiative
WBFO's Mental Health Initiative is funded by the Patrick P. Lee Foundation.
A quarantine may pose an additional challenge in successfully maintaining one's mental health. WBFO's Nick Lippa looks into what to keep in mind while self-isolating.
Latest Stories from the WBFO Mental Health Initiative
Community Conversations
WATCH NOW
Mental Health & Housing: Finding Home
One of the largest issues individuals with mental illness face is the availability and accessibility of housing. The lack of safe and affordable place to live is a tremendous barrier to recovery and to the prevention of homelessness, hospitalization, and movement through the criminal justice system. Unhoused individuals living with mental illness face a variety of obstacles that are intersected and exacerbated by the lack of affordable and accessible services in the region.
WBFO News Director Dave Debo host “Finding Home,” a panel discussion on issues surrounding the lack of housing options for those living with mental illness. This conversation includes current work to combat the closing of housing options, the housing landscape in the greater Buffalo area for individuals with mental illness, effects of the housing shortages, as well as efforts in education, prevention, and intervention for individuals and families.
Included on the panel are Mark O’Brien, Erie County Commissioner of Mental Health, Kelly Dumas, LCSW, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer at BestSelf Behavioral Health; and community member and advocate Patricia Seifert.
Watch Now
Mental Health and Policing
WBFO News Director Dave Debo hosts “Mental Health and Policing: Do Crisis Intervention Teams Work?,” a dialogue about the various changes under consideration in Buffalo, including greater use of Crisis Intervention Teams, embedding social workers with police, and other reforms under broader consideration.
WBFO's Mental Health Initiative Facebook Live events are an engaging way to connect with the community through social media. Each event is focused on a singular topic and brings different experiences and perspectives together into one conversation.
Our conversations have focuses on the changes in mental health treatment over the years, the New York State mandate for teaching mental health, how inside Crisis Services hotlines respond to citizens in need, personal experiences of living with mental illness, and how mental illness is portrayed in pop culture. Watch them online now.
As COVID-19 leaves us in in a dual crisis of physical and mental health, Thursdays in April and May WBFO hosted a series of Facebook live discussions on mental health related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Your Mental Health During COVID-19| Facebook Live Series | Watch Now
As part of our mental health initiative, WBFO hosted a series of Facebook Live discussions on your mental health related to the coronavirus pandemic. Each Thursday in April and May on WBFO’s Facebook page we presented information to help you understand how this pandemic can affect your mental health. We talked about coping, quarantine, isolation and more.
Support for the WBFO Mental Health Initiative is provided by the Patrick P. Lee Foundation.
Watch Online Now
Thursday, May 21
Your Mental Health during COVID-19 | Addiction & Suicide
WBFO welcomed credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor Karl Shallowhorn to talk about addiction and risk of suicide amidst a global pandemic. He spoke about integrated treatment, the biology of addiction, and how mental health first aid can help you assess someone's risk of suicide.
Thursday, May 14
YMH during COVID-19 | Frontline & Essential Workers
Dave Debo, WBFO’s News Director, talks with psychiatrist Dr. Sourav Sengupta from UBMD Psychiatry and Oishei Children’s Hospital about the mental health of those facing COVID-19 on the front lines - first responders, healthcare workers and those in essential businesses.
Thursday, May 7
YMH during COVID-19 | Older Adults & Isolation
Dave Debo, News Director, welcomes Dr. Ursuline Bankhead, a psychologist working in geriatrics and with older adults at the VA WNY Healthcare Center. She answers questions and comments from older adults and their caregivers regarding the range of emotions this population is experiencing during this pandemic.
Thursday, April 30
Your Mental Health during COVID-19 | Children and Adolescent
Dave Debo, News Director, welcomed Dr. Aimee DiPasqua, a child psychiatrist from Spectrum Health and Human Services. She answered questions and comments from parents and other caregivers regarding the range of emotions children are experiencing during this pandemic.
Thursday, April 24
Your Mental Health during COVID-19 | PTSD
Host Dave Debo, WBFO’s News Director, talked with local Advanced Practice Clinician, Ofer Ziv, from Horizon Health Services about signs and symptoms of PTSD, how you can help those who struggle with it, and how this health crisis is having an impact on all of us.
Thursday, April 16
Your Mental Health during COVID-19 | Stress and Anxiety
Host Dave Debo, WBFO’s News Director, talked with local mental health counselor, Erin M. Moss about stress and anxiety.
Your Mental Health During COVID-19| Podcast Series
More on Mental Health from Public Media
PBS NewsHour
How social distancing can impact mental health
7:12
Published:
How social distancing can impact mental health
Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein
The Intersection of Physical & Mental Health
26:47
Published:
Expires: 2022-02-13
Rating: TV-G
Experts share their experiences working on the forefront of health care integration.
Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein
Minority Issues in Mental Health Care
27:01
Published:
Expires: 2022-02-06
Rating: TV-G
Explore issues many minority communities face in seeking help for mental health issues.
Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein
Youth Mental Wellness
27:01
Published:
Expires: 2022-01-02
Rating: TV-G
Explore how school, teachers and parents can help normalize mental health issues.
Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein
Stem Cell Research & Mental Health
26:47
Published:
Expires: 2022-01-09
Rating: TV-G
Scientists can re-program adult skin and blood cells to advance the detection of diseases.
FRONTLINE
Right to Fail
54:48
Published:
Investigating the NY effort to let those with severe mental illnesses live on their own.
On Point |
ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Shares Her Story Of 'Life After Suicide'
The national suicide epidemic hits home for ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. Her new book is "Life After Suicide."
PBS NewsHour
Why we can’t ‘arrest ourselves out of’ mental illness
3:59
Published:
Mental illness ‘is not a problem that we can arrest ourselves out of’
PBS NewsHour
Why mental illness 'should never be a crime'
7:14
Published:
A mother's story of why mental illness 'should never be a crime'
PBS NewsHour
In Liberia, mental illness is the new health crisis
6:21
Published:
In Liberia, survivors of Ebola and civil war now struggle with mental illness
PBS NewsHour
New generation faces mental ‘wounds of war’
7:58
Published:
New generation faces mental ‘wounds of war’
PBS NewsHour
Journalist's journey guided by her father's illness
6:16
Published:
A journalist's journey, guided by curiosity for her father's illness
PBS NewsHour
Crisis team helps those with mental health issues avoid jail
10:06
Published:
An estimated 2 million people suffering from mental illness are booked into county jails.
PBS NewsHour
'Portraits of Resilience' destigmatize depression at MIT
6:42
Published:
Students at MIT are now part of a project to give a face and voice to a growing crisis.
PBS NewsHour
What it’s like to be arrested while suffering mental illness
3:10
Published:
Rating: NR
Paton Blough uses his experiences to help train police officers in crisis management.
PBS NewsHour
Treating mental illness with medicine and religion in India
7:26
Published:
Rating: NR
Treating mental illness with medicine and religion in India
PBS NewsHour
Mental illness consumed my marriage -- until this epiphany
3:27
Published:
Why we should redefine how we cope with illnesses to include the voice of caregivers.
PBS NewsHour
Refugees in need of mental health help flounder on Lesbos
8:23
Published:
Middle Eastern refugees are in need of mental health help on the island of Lesbos.
PBS NewsHour
Kids and smartphones: What's the mental health impact?
6:50
Published:
Smartphones have changed the way kids live and interact, prompting growing concerns.
PBS NewsHour
More on smartphones
8:05
Published:
An increasingly wireless world is taking a toll on an entire generation's mental health.
PBS NewsHour
The devastating, underdiagnosed toll of toxic stress on kids
3:20
Published:
The devastating, underdiagnosed toll of toxic stress on kids
Local, USA
Kids in Crisis: You're Not Alone
27:46
Published:
Expires: 2022-09-29
Rating: TV-PG
The mental health journeys of four young people, told entirely in their own words.
Above The Noise
Survival Guide: How to Handle Family Stress
8:11
Published:
You’re likely spending more time at home these days - which can lead to family tension.
For general support, help finding a counselor or mental health resource in in Erie County, contact The Mental Health Advocates of WNY at 716-886-1242 Link: http://www.eriemha.org/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255); En Español 1-888-628-9454 The Lifeline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have hearing loss can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889.
Crisis Text Line Text “HELLO” to 741741 The Crisis Text hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the U.S. The Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, connecting them with a crisis counselor who can provide support and information.
Veterans Crisis Line Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and press 1 or text to 838255 The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource that connects veterans 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a trained responder. The service is available to all veterans, even if not registered with the VA or enrolled in VA healthcare. Veterans who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have hearing loss can call 1-800-799-4889.
Disaster Distress Helpline Call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 The disaster distress helpline provides immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. The helpline is free, multilingual, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness Hotline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
How to Have Your Just Tell One Conversation On Mental Health
Telling one person about a mental health or addiction issue is a simple concept, but that doesn't make it easy. Youth and professionals explain the steps to starting the conversation.
PBS NewsHour
How students who struggle with mental illness can find help
These three high-achieving students at one of the world's most prestigious universities have also suffered crippling depression and been through years of therapy and medication. In the second part of his report, Jeffrey Brown hears how they got help with debilitating illness, then learns more about student mental health challenges and solutions from Alfiee Breland-Noble of Georgetown University.
Video/Audio from WBFO's Mental Health Initiative
WBFO
Dan & George; One man treats his depression by giving ba
It is estimated that 300-million people suffer from depression across the world. Experts say it's important to take action to deal with it. As part of our Mental Health Initiative, WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says a local attorney found a way to help others as a way of enhancing his own mood.
Erie County & Suicide prevention leaders kicked Suicide Prevention Week Tuesday. A yellow 'Flag of Hope' was hoisted up the flag pole in front of the county Rath Building in downtown Buffalo. Link: https://www.facebook.com/eileen.buckley/videos/10155776108183441/
A woman who escaped domestic violence and conquered alcoholism is sharing her story to offer hope for others. Jillian James who says a women's shelter and food assistance saved her life. Link: https://www.facebook.com/eileen.buckley/videos/10155690438383441
These classroom resources explore answers to depression, anxiety, toxic stress, and suicide through the lens of experts, educators, parents, and youth.
The focus of WBFO’s Mental Health Initiative is to normalize the conversation about mental illness by bringing this issue from the shadows into everyday light. This two-year project will provide in-depth coverage of mental health issues and help to build the mental health literacy of our community. WBFO's Mental Health Initiative is funded by the Patrick P. Lee Foundation
