APA Blogs
56 Results
Autism, Anxiety and Sensory Challenges
Anxiety disorders are common in children and adolescents, and sensory reactivity is also common among young children. Both conditions are more common in children with autism than children without autism. Researchers are exploring the connections and relationships between these conditions.
Exploring the Complexities of Resilience
Many children experience adversity and traumatic events. Researchers continue to try to understand resilience, or the trait that makes some children, and adults, better able than others to cope and adapt to adversity.
New Study: Community College Students Often Face Mental Health Challenges
Community college students have higher rates of mental health problems compared to same age peers at 4-year institutions, according to a new national study. It also found that community college students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds were more likely to have mental health problems and less likely to get treatment. The study appears online this week in Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
City Living and Mental Well-being
 More than half the world’s population lives in cities, and the number is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades. Living in urban areas has been associated with increased risk for mental disorders, including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. Research using functional magnetic resonance imaging has identified changes in the brain indicating that urban upbringing and city living are linked to social stress processing.
Understanding Stimming: Repetitive Behaviors with a Purpose
One key symptom of autism spectrum disorders is repetitive behaviors, such as repetitive actions like self-stimulation behavior, or stimming. These behaviors can involve one part of the body, the entire body or an object. While they may seem distractive or disruptive, and while it may not be obvious to others, stimming often serves a purpose for the individual.Â