The images of war raging in Ukraine are difficult to watch and extremely disturbing. They are images of human suffering on a scale that is hard to comprehend and impossible to turn away from. We see communities in rubble with bloodied and shell-shocked survivors searching through debris for signs of a missing loved one. We see Ukrainians murdered as they try to evacuate their communities. And we see millions of exhausted refugees – primarily women and children – trying to make it across the border to safety knowing they may never see their homes, husbands, brothers or fathers again.

We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis. Addressing it is indeed a massive challenge but that doesn’t mean we should feel helpless or hopeless. There is so much that we can do if we make mental health a priority and invest time and resources effectively. Just as emotional pain and suffering is part of being human – so is the ability to tackle massively complex and seemingly intractable challenges. We can send a person to the moon, we can develop vaccines to fight a global pandemic, we can absolutely ensure that those in need get the mental health care and support they deserve.

 I was recently asked if we’ve made progress in changing the culture of mental health. And secondarily, do I believe we can someday deliver culturally sensitive, affordable and easily accessible mental health care for all who need and deserve it? These are difficult questions to answer – but important to address.

For those who have worked for years to change the culture of mental health - so that mental health is understood and prioritized - seeing the avalanche of articles, posts, interviews and comments in support of Simone Biles over the last several days has been extraordinary.