Ted talks about mental health

Photo by Aatik Tasneem on Unsplash

There are some genuinely inspiring TED Talks on the subject of mental health. I’ve compiled a list of some of the most inspirational ones (in no particular order). Education and awareness about the complexity of mental health issues and knowledge of the breakthroughs in modern brain research are crucial for ending the stigma and improving care for those struggling with mental illness and substance use issues.

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#1 The Power of Addiction and The Addiction of Power | Gabor Maté
Canadian physician Gabor Maté specializes in terminal illnesses, chemical dependents, and HIV-positive patients. Dr. Maté is a renowned author of books and columnist known for his knowledge about attention deficit disorder, stress, chronic illness, and parental relations. His theme at TEDxRio+20 was addiction -- from drugs to power. From the lack of love to the desire to escape oneself, from the susceptibility of the being to interior power -- nothing escapes. And he risks a generic and generous prescription: "Find your nature and be nice to yourself."
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#2 On being just crazy enough | Joshua Walters
Comedian Joshua Walters, who's bipolar, walks the line between mental illness and mental "skillness." He asks: What's the right balance between medicating craziness away and riding the manic edge of creativity and drive in this funny, thought-provoking talk?
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#3 A new plan for anxious feelings: escape the custard! | Neil Hughes
Comedian, author, and physicist Neil Hughes lived with anxiety for years before he had a strange realization: anxiety is just like custard! This surprising pudding-based insight led to a new approach to his mental health.
In this talk, he uses physics, humor, and poorly-drawn doodles to share this new way of thinking about mind management, including practical suggestions for improving mental habits.
He also explains the hidden links between fluid dynamics, custard, and emotions and how these links might help build a more peaceful life. This amusing and enlightening talk will help you identify the ‘custard traps' in your mind and start plotting your escape.
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#4 Getting stuck in the negatives (and how to get unstuck) | Alison Ledgerwood
Alison Ledgerwood joined the Department of Psychology at UC Davis in 2008 after completing her Ph.D. in social psychology at New York University. She is interested in understanding how people think and think better. Her research focuses on how specific ways of thinking about an issue stick in people's heads. Her classes on social psychology focus on understanding how people think and behave in social situations and how to harness that knowledge to improve the social world in which we all live potentially.
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#5 How to make stress your friend | Kelly McGonigal
Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken, and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. So instead, psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive and introduces us to an unsung stress-reduction mechanism: reaching out to others.

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#6 The power of vulnerability | Brené Brown
Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, and love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, sending her on a personal quest to know herself and understand humanity. A talk to share.
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#7 Depression, the secret we share | Andrew Solomon
"The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, which seemed to seep away from me at that moment." In a talk equal parts eloquent and devastating, writer Andrew Solomon takes you to the darkest corners of his mind during his battles with depression. That led him to an eye-opening journey across the world to interview others with depression -- only to discover that, to his surprise, the more he talked, the more people wanted to tell their own stories. 
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#8 All it takes is 10 mindful minutes | Andy Puddicombe
When was the last time you did absolutely nothing for ten whole minutes? Not texting, talking, or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in strange positions.

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#9 What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | Robert Waldinger
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to true happiness and satisfaction data. This talk shares three crucial lessons from the research and some practical, old-as-the-hills wisdom on building a fulfilling, long life.

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#10 There's no shame in taking care of your mental health | Sangu Delle
When stress became too much for TED Fellow Sangu Delle, he confronted his deep prejudice: men shouldn't care about their mental health. Delle shares how he learned to handle anxiety in a society uncomfortable with emotions in a personal talk. As he says: "Being honest about how we feel doesn't make us weak — it makes us human."