Free Mental Health Resources: Brochures, Sites, Videos, and Publications
Blake has worked in the mental health field since 2002 educating and inspiring hope on the journey toward recovery.
Resources for Education of Mental Illness Topics
Free mental health resources can be a great benefit for those in need of resources. Finding materials to educate people about mental illnesses can take time and energy. Fortunately you can use the links here to get you headed in the right direction.
Luckily, the government provides some great resources about and for mental health that are free of charge. Luckily our tax money helps pay for some great free mental health educational resources. Check out these totally free resources and you will likely find something that you can put to use if you educate students, clients, or patients about mental health. These items can be used in a multitude of settings including hospitals, educational institutions, and/or businesses.
List of Free Resources at a Glance
- Free Science of Mental Illness: Free Curriculum and DVD video
- Free Videos about Bullying and Mental Health for Latinos
- NIMH Publications
- NAMI Resources
- SAMHSA Resources
- Psych Central
- Mental Health Matters
- Mental Health Today
Look below for more details and links to order your free copies of videos and publications.
The Science of Mental Illness Workbook and DVD
Picture from NIH.gov
Free Video and Lesson Plans for Educating Kids about Mental Illness
The Science of Mental Illness is a curriculum put together by the National Institute of Mental Health, and the entire lesson plans, hand outs, and free DVD are available at the link to the right. The lesson plans meet many state standards, and the DVD is excellent.
This free DVD is around 20 minutes long and shows four kids talking about their own experiences with mental illness. There is a free worksheet guided notes that goes with the DVD which makes it easy for you to teach about mental illness. It is great for kids 12 and older to watch and works well in therapeutic group education.
Free Publications
Anxiety Disorders Free Brochure
Free NIMH Resources
The NIMH stands for National Institute of Mental Health. It is a government funded organization that researches and educates about mental health. The official mission statement is, "to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure." More specifically the NIMH aims to achieve these objectives:
- Promote discovery in the brain and behavioral sciences to fuel research on the causes of mental disorders
- Chart mental illness trajectories to determine when, where, and how to intervene
- Develop new and better interventions that incorporate the diverse needs and circumstances of people with mental illnesses
- Strengthen the public health impact of NIMH-supported research
The NIMH will mail you free publications on various mental health related topic. This is totally free of charge. You can even order fairly large numbers or publications. So if you need free educational brochures for your outreach or program, check out the free resources of the NIMH. Educating the mentally ill can be challenging, so you will want any help you can get.
NAMI Free Resources
- NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, ob
Free Resources from NAMI
With a name like National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI sounds like it would be the organization that will stand by your side when you need help. NAMI's mission is to be, "dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness."
NAMI exists at national, state, and local levels. So if you want to become a member, you can get involved in outreach. If you are mentally ill, then chances are NAMI has something to offer you.
Free SAMHSA Resources
- Mental Health Services: Order
National Mental Health Information Center. Mental illness facts, mental health services, health tips
SAMHSA Resouces
SAMHSA stand for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You can find information on mental health topics including statistics, other research, information on mental illness, and social factors related to mental illnesses.
Besides the free resources found on the SAMHSA website, SAMHSA
will provide free publications. Order
any of the resources for your organization that would be helpful. SAMHSA will mail them to you free of charge.
Free Resources from the APA
- APA Diversity Resources
- "Real Psychiatry: Doctors in Action" - Video
description of Real Psychiatry: Doctors in Action and link to actual video (available to APA members)
Free Mental Health and Psychiatry Videos from the APA
The American Psychological Association is offering a couple free videos for organizations and interested people. One is Mental Health: A Guide for Latinos and another is Real Psychiatry Doctors in Action. Getting your free copies is as easy as sending an e-mail to the APA. I have done this and found the process simple.
You can also order reports, curricula, fact sheets, brochures, and flyers from the American Psychological Association. These are all free. Some can be viewed and printed straight from your computer. Otherwise you will need to order your free copies.
Here is an example of what you do to order:
To request a DVD or VHS copy (please specify) of the video, Real Psychiatry: Doctors in Action, call us at 703/907-7300 or toll free at 888/357-7924 or email apa@psych.org.
Free Bullied Video from Teaching Tolerance
Free Video about Bullying
Bullying has become such a revealed issue in mental health lately. We know that even with efforts from schools, there is still bullying going on. You can get a free video from teachingtolerance.org called Bullied.
In the video you will watch the story of one homosexual who was bullied to the point of running away from his home to escape facing other students at school. He later sued some administrators at the school and won his case, becoming the first person to successfully sue for bullying issues. His story in the video could give hope to those who are bullied and educate those who might have become bullies themselves.
- Welcome to Mental Health Matters
Information and resources about mental health issues for consumers, professionals, students and supporters, covers a number of mental illnesses including Depression, Bipolar, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, ADHD, Personality Disorders, Suicide, Relationship
- Psych Central - Trusted information in mental health and psychology
Dr. John Grohol's home of down-to-earth, reliable, and accessible mental health resources online.
- Mental Health Today Resources
Mental health resources on and off of the Internet.
- GET.gg Free Downloads - Therapy Worksheets
Free printable CBT tools and therapy worksheets to download
Non-Governemnt Free Resources
These last four resources are not government run website, but they offer something useful in one way or another.
Most people like taking psych related quizzes. You will find these at Psych Central. Although it's more of a pop psychology website than the others, you will be engaged by the articles. The "ask a therapist section is interesting."
Mental Health Matters is similar to Psych Central with articles that are easy to read and less scholarly than those found on organization and government websites. This self help resource is useful for those seeking advice. Mental health self help is the specialty of Mental Health Matters.
Mental Health Today was created by a social worker and includes helpful links to various free resources online. Look around. One of the most interesting sections to the site includes people's personal accounts of mental illness.
Get Self Help is one of the most extensive collections of handouts, workbooks, and education about cognitive therapies. Any of the materials are o.k. to use for therapy purposes as well as personal study. This makes the site very valuable if you are a group leader or therapist.
Something to Think About
Mental Health is Just as Important as Physical Health
Something for Everyone
With the resources listed on this page, you can educate yourself and those you serve. You will likely not have time to explore all the resources to their full extent. Depending on what resources you are seeking, you will want to start with the correct resource.
It's likely that if you are doing research you will find some helpful information on the government websites. If you are looking for help for yourself or someone you know who is mentally ill, start with NAMI. If you are looking for more pop psychology, self help info, then check out the last three mentioned. Keep checking back as the sites are updated for more free mental health resources.
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Comments
Danielle poli on May 31, 2018:
Thank you for helping
gavelect from Glasgow on November 09, 2011:
useful post Blake, voted up my friend.
Catherine Simmons from Mission BC Canada on August 23, 2011:
Voted up! Interesting and useful..thanks :-)
hanwillingham on June 28, 2011:
Good and very useful points, Blake. Thanks for providing this hub.
Kim Harris on November 01, 2010:
Awesome hub, Blake. I've gotten so many freebies from these sites. They're definitely worth checking out.
lindaadams37 on September 30, 2010:
We all know in current working scenario we are more at risk mentally rather physically and when it comes to remedies it is difficult to decide which way to go.
