Today brings the last entry in my series of columns about mental health in the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Shortly after I started at the Strib, I floated an idea for a column about mental health in an editorial meeting. My editor said that sounds more like a series than a column. Ramrod that I am, I said, oh, cool. I guess I’ll do a series. This casual commitment to more than 20 interviews, hours of research and deep soul-searching is the sort of thing I stumble into all the time. (It’s also why I have a book that’s still too long to publish)
Today’s column is the most personal of the bunch, and highlights the most profound interview I did in the process. If you know me, you know I’ve wrestled with questions of religion and spirituality my whole life. I hunger for the transcendent while remaining deeply skeptical of the institutions that surround religion. It’s been hard to find a home, and when it comes to mental wellness, much of religion has been a minefield for me and my family. So hey, let’s put all that in the paper. What could go wrong?
I doubt very much that I’ve written my last column about mental health. I’ll revisit these topics in the future. Changing policies and health care coverage demand our attention. It was disturbing to write about the progress we’re making in treating mental illness while watching our system of covering mental health care be gutted. Medicaid coverage is a lifeline for those who most need treatment. The work continues.
For now, read “For me and others, well-being means grasping the transcendent,” in the Sunday, July 27, 2025, edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown and is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
