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American’s Top 5 Mental Health-Related New Year’s Resolutions for 2023: Can Apps Help Us Keep Them?
Some 40% of American adults are stressed about their mental health. Nearly three in 10 expect to make New Year’s resolutions related to their mental health, according to a national poll from APA conducted in early December. Half of young adults (aged 18-34) are planning to do so.
Antisocial Personality Disorder: Often Overlooked and Untreated
Antisocial personality disorder may be one of the most misunderstood mental disorders. It is also often undiagnosed and untreated, according to a recent special report by Donald Black, M.D. in Psychiatric News.1 He referred to it as “psychiatry’s forgotten disorder,” noting that few clinicians diagnose or treat it.
Can a Selfie Video Fight Mental Health Stigma?
Many people with mental health conditions don’t get needed treatment. Despite increased awareness and public discussion of mental health, stigma remains one of the primary barriers to people getting help. The use of brief videos, traditional and “selfie” style, with messages of recovery and hope may help reduce stigma and increase understanding of mental illness, as well as young people’s willingness to seek help, according to a recent study published in Psychiatric Services
Justice-Involved Individuals, Mental Health, and the Revolving Door
On Sept. 20, 2022, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a draft statement recommending that U.S. adults under the age of 65 should be screened for anxiety 1. This recommendation underscores the emerging need for the inclusion of mental health screens as a part of everyday clinical practice and not simply reserved for behavioral health settings. More widespread screening will better inform treatment decisions, lead to referrals for care, and slow down, or in some cases even stop, the revolving door too often experienced by patients with anxiety.
Cataract Surgery and Hearing Aids May Help Reduce the Risk of Dementia in Older Adults
Dementia affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide and about 4 million in the U.S., about 9% of adults 65 or older. In the past, several factors have been identified that reduce the risk of dementia, including educational level, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, depression, social isolation. Recent research says that in older adults, treatments for hearing and vision problems can also help reduce the risk of dementia.