Mental Health Good News

Stories about people and organizations making a difference for mental health — and fighting the stigma around mental health

A hand holds a vial of medicine, an electric car with its doors open in the front, a portrait photo of Renee Nicole Good, a chicken with its head out of its pen, and an overview of a city's road full of cars

Good News This Week: January 10, 2026 - Cars, Hugs, & Backyards

Your weekly roundup of the best good news worth celebrating...

A block of New York City apartment buildings

New study: Surprising mental health benefits came from Biden-era rental assistance

Researchers suggest fiscal policies like the emergency rental assistance program are also a tool for improving public health.

Two women, seen from the back, hug in front of a window. Outside, snow is falling.

New study finds the reason for why warm hugs feel so good. It could shape future mental health treatments

If you’re looking for a sign to snuggle, this might be it.

Illustrations of street signs with phrases like "digital burnout," "political unrest," "workplace stress," "climate anxiety," and "personal and relational stress"

How are we going to survive 2026? Here's what 3 therapists recommend

We talked to three licensed mental health providers and got their best bite-size advice for the top worries plaguing Americans in 2026. Here’s what they had to say.

Two women sit in a cafe talking over iced lattes

'Friendship Hour:' This Swedish company is giving its employees money and time off to hang out with their friends

Swedish pharmacy chain Apotek Hjärtat is leading the charge with a “friendcare” pilot program.

2026 Calendar of Fee Free National Park Days

The eight fee-free days of 2026 — plus more ways to score free or discounted passes at U.S. National Parks

A man wearing a shirt that says 'Violence Prevention Team' as he looks at his team members in the distance

Here's how to reduce gun violence by 2040, according to the experts

Shootings have killed more than 800,000 people and injured over 2 million others in the United States since the start of this century.

Three highly artistic and colorful chairs, one with overhanging cords, another with colorful carpetlike padding, and the other shaped like a stool with lava spilling over the sides.

These artists transformed their mental health issues into chairs. When guests sit in them, the gallery takes on an added meaning

Art curator Sandra Davis set 14 chairs on display in the Arts Barn’s professional art gallery in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in the hopes of creating a new kind of conversation on mental health struggles.

A man laying down on a couch holds his head as a therapist sits just out of frame

Digital avatars are helping psychosis patients confront the voices in their heads

New technology from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London is helping patients confront auditory hallucinations.

A child sits at a desk, bored, resting his head on his hand

Screens have made it easier than ever for kids to avoid boredom. But here's why it's good for them to have nothing to do

Boredom serves a useful purpose, scientists say. It motivates people to pursue new goals and challenges.

On the left, a young woman stands beside two cartoon creations she's made with an update reading that she donated $40,000 to mental health aid this year. On the right, a close-up of the front cover of "It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth."

This book has been hailed as one of the best graphic novels of the decade. Now it’s helped raise over $40K for mental health services

British artist Zoe Thorogood was just 23 when she penned “It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth.”

Two photos side-by-side. On the left is an elderly woman snuggling a small, elderly dog. On the right are two senior dogs sitting in a bed together

At this 'cuddle club,' senior dogs and senior citizens find companionship in each other

San Francisco’s Muttville Senior Dog Rescue hosts monthly meetups for elderly community members — both human and canine.