Anna Akana

Accessibility should not be understated in Mental Health. As a history major, I know that accessibility to history (or any topic at that matter) can be incredibly influential (Pawn Stars on History Channel is an example). While academic historians abhor it, pop history serves its purpose of sparking people’s interest in history, in turn influencing future history majors such as myself. The same can be applied to mental health, but while academic historians stay far away from pop history, therapists and researchers have just recently begun (within the past 5 years or so) to adopt it into their work.

Enter Stage right, Anna Akana. Akana is one of those people who inspired me to learn more about myself and continues to inspire hundreds of thousands of people every time she uploads new content. Her YouTube channel has almost three million subscribers, and she has been interviewed by such organizations as Heard Well and The JED Foundation. Her content carries weight and value as it is intended to address the contents of a healthy relationship by answering such questions as: “Do I have value? Am I being manipulated? What is my attachment style? and Why am I angry?” The best part is that each of these questions are answered in cute, funny skits, and each video lasts about 3-5 minutes. Short and to the point and hooboy that production value. 

While I am sure many could argue that her content is pointed at tween/teen girls, especially when talking about relationships, I believe that her content is just as relevant to guys as it is to girls and teens as it is to adults. The best part about her content and what distinguishes her from most poppy mental health channels is that her videos are not based off of clickbait articles on the internet but rather directly from the therapists themselves. 

For those of you who want to start the long road to self-love and self-care, Akana’s channel is a great starting point. Even for Akana, her content serves as a reconciliation as she herself joined the #MeToo movement and has had to overcome the grief of losing her sister due to suicide when she was just a teen. The more accessible mental health, the more that lives will be saved and the more humans will become more aware about just how complicated our minds really are.