The Doctor is Who? by JD Hancock / CC BY

Mental Health Matters: Promoting Good Mental Health in Our Communities is intended to help all of us talk more openly about and become more aware of our own and others’ mental health, and of the importance of good mental health more generally. Many of us and the communities we live in are tragically affected by the violence so rampant in American society. And, too often, our efforts to discuss ways to curtail the violence become entangled in important debates over guns and gun restrictions. Meanwhile, many underlying mental health factors—which also must be discussed if we are to reduce the frequency and impact of these events–are rarely seriously explored. We hope this discussion guide will help us all begin to alter that narrative and provide an interesting array of policy possibilities for exploration within communities of varying sizes and locations.