A new year invariably brings thoughts of change, of self-improvement, of new beginnings. So it is with Cosimo: as we celebrate our new blog, I’ll take a look throughout January at our library’s worth of books, current and classic, on topics of self-help, personal development, and refreshening the mind, body, and spirit. If you’re ready for a fresh start yourself, stay tuned throughout the month for some ideas to get you motivated.

With Cosimo Reports, Cosimo brings to readers important government documents covering vital issues of our day. Understanding Mental Health Issues, issued by the U.S. Surgeon General’s office, recognizes the inextricably intertwined relationship between mental health and physical health and well-being, and emphasizes that mental health and mental illnesses are important concerns at all ages. Laying down a challenge to the nation — to our communities, our health and social services agencies, our policymakers, employers, and citizens — to take action to continue to attend to needs that occur across a lifespan, from the youngest child to the oldest among us, this volume includes links to helpful and informative web sites related to mental health programs, research and media articles, clinical centers and key national mental health organizations. Says Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services:

For too long the fear of mental illness has been profoundly destructive to people’s lives. In fact mental illnesses are just as real as other illnesses, and they are like other illnesses in most ways. Yet fear and stigma persist, resulting in lost opportunities for individuals to seek treatment and improve or recover. This seminal report provides us with an opportunity to dispel the myths and stigmas surrounding mental illness.

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