Nick Kroll is a monster! But it's okay! He's just pretending! On a tv show.
And four other things at least somewhat mental health-related that you should know about
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Then sometimes in one’s job, one ends up talking to Nick Kroll about how therapy is going
I was intrigued by the idea of Human Resources when I first heard about it: every human has a variety of mythical creature/monster/animals that regulate that person’s emotional life and all these creatures work together in a big office building. Comedy? Of course. Animated? Great. People like Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bamford, Janelle Monae, and Hugh Jackman involved? I’m in.
But I was way more in once I watched the series (got early access on account of how famous I am). Yes, it’s wacky and yes, the sex and bodily function jokes are a LOT even for me, and I have a high threshold for those jokes. But the series gets the mental health aspect right. The writers and creators did their homework and wed a truthful depiction to the all these monsters.
On this week’s show, I talk to Nick Kroll, who was one of the creators of Human Resources, and Brandon Kyle Goodman, who was a writer and consultant on it. They both act on the show as well, with Nick playing two separate hormone monsters and Brandon playing a lovebug who can also fly into great angry rages, because that’s love for you.
Significant news that won’t get nearly as much attention as Tom Brady returning to the NFL at the age of 94
It wouldn’t normally be news if a college student decided to quit an extracurricular activity to focus on class work. But when it’s a football player and the college is Ohio State University, it’s more notable.
Harry Miller, a linebacker on the team, notified team officials when he became suicidal and ultimately decided to leave the team and focus on his engineering studies.
A quick look at Miller’s Twitter feed reveals another on another team making a similar decision:
The college football industry is brutal. Young people get injuries all the time that will last far beyond their football years. This self-advocacy is good to see.
Florida bill would harm young people’s mental health
We’re right in the middle of a mental health emergency, and one that hits young people especially hard. And here comes Florida with this “Don’t Say Gay” nonsense and it could very well kill people.
By barring classroom discussion, the Florida bill would theoretically prohibit teaching about civil rights heroes such as Harvey Milk or Bayard Rustin, staples of some curricula. These figures can serve as role models; queer youth who learned about these histories were 23% less likely to report suicide attempts, according to a 2021 report by The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. Requiring all students to learn about these issues has also shown increased acceptance among peers, and lower rates of bullying.
Crucially, the ban on discussions also extends to personal identity, erasing potentially life-saving support systems at school; 50% of surveyed youth said school was an affirming space for them. Under the law, if kids shared information about their own orientations or identities with teachers, those educators would be obligated to report them to parents, effectively outing them against their will.
Also, it’s not just Florida:
Though further ahead in the process, Florida is not alone. At least 15 of these education bills have reportedly sprung up, including an Arizona bill that would force teachers to out students to parents, and a Kansas bill that would deem classroom materials promoting homosexuality as an obscene act and a Class B misdemeanor.
White House announces mental health strategy
Well, the actual house didn’t do that, it’s not sentient, but the people inside did.
There are a bunch of interesting items in there, including - to my mild surprise - addressing burnout:
Promote the mental well-being of our frontline health workforce. Three-quarters of frontline health care workers report burnout, while more than half say they lack adequate supports to cope. The Administration has already dedicated $103 million in American Rescue Plan funding to address burnout and strengthen resiliency among health care workers. The President will strengthen this commitment by signing the bipartisan Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act into law, which will invest $135 million over three years into training health care providers on suicide prevention and behavioral health while launching an awareness campaign to address stigmatization, promote help-seeking and self-care among this workforce. In addition, HHS will continue grant programs to support health systems and provider groups to prevent burnout, relieve workplace stressors, administer stress first aid, and increase access to high-quality mental health care for the frontline health care workforce.
I want a gold shirt like that guy has.
I was on Unsung Heroes and it was an honor
People who know this show, LOVE this show. Perhaps you should know this show. Fun fact, I taped with these folks for over an hour to get 5 minutes of tape. That’s just how radio works sometimes.