Dear Readers,
Another year of musings on mental health. From the gut biome to the unintended consequences of focusing on resilience. From explorations of gun violence and suicide to the teenage brain, concussions, technology, and the mental health benefits of nature and laughter. From weddings to child’s play to turning ninety. From exploring ways that mental health matters to community to recognizing that community matters to mental health. Thank you for reading Five on Friday. Thank you for sharing your favorite posts with others. Thank you for writing to me with comments on what I have written and topics I might consider for another week.

Here is 2018 in review. Please click on the links to read posts you may have missed or to read once again posts you especially enjoyed.
Hundred Acre Wood — Gut Feelings — Antipodal Mental Health — The Downside to Fostering Resilience — Touch — Love is EleMENTAL — Putting our Heads Together — #ArmMeWith… — And the Winner is… — An Award of Our Own — What’s the Matter with Kids Today? — Is Mom Depressed? — Two Years of Five on Friday! — Edinburgh in April — Crossing the Channel — Healthy NY Summit and Awards 2018 — Mimi and David Say I Do — How is Laughter the Proverbial “Best Medicine?” — Why I Ride for Mental Health — The Black Swan, Turkey, and Butcher —Graduation Junkie — Seeing the “Men” in Mental Illness — Two Suicides in One Week? — Men, Mental Illness, & Suicide – Your Questions Answered — ICD-11 has Arrived: Hello Gaming Disorder, Goodbye Gender Incongruence, and more… — SCOTUS: What about Mental Illness? — When in Doubt, Serve — Friday the Thirteenth — Do You Pixar? — Guru Purnima — The Bright Future of Mental Health — What about Dorothea Dix? — Lyme Disease and Mental Health — If Truth isn’t Truth, What About Lies? — Just for Fun — “Wow! That’s about all I can say – Wow!” — A Life’s Work — An Easy Fast — Breaking the Glass — Mental Health Parity & Reality — World Mental Health Day – Focus on Youth — I Crossed the Street — Fat and Happy — A Walk in the Park — Healthier, Longer Lives — Knockin’ Your Noggin — Thanksgiving 2018 — Ninety Years and Counting — The Happiness Industry Makes Me Sad — 2018 Home Office Challenge — Suicide and the Holiday
Wishing you a new year filled with light and love. Wishing all of us a new year filled with discoveries that increase our understanding of mental illness and mental health.