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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.
APA Unveils New Strategic Plan on Mental Health Equity
The American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s Division of Diversity and Health Equity (DDHE) has launched a new strategic plan to work toward achieving diversity and mental health equity: Charting Excellence Through Partnerships: Strategic Goals for the Division of Diversity and Health Equity.
Examining Mental Health Courts
People with mental illness are more likely to be arrested, to be denied or unable to pay bail, and to have lengthier stays in jails compared to those without mental illness. An estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses are incarcerated each year. One approach increasingly being used to help address the problem is mental health courts.
Unveiling APA’s Access Agenda
As President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the 117th Congress took office, they arrived in the midst of multiple crises impacting Americans’ mental health—the pandemic, economic crisis and systemic racism—as well as the aftermath of the Capitol insurrection. Americans are feeling more anxious and overdose deaths reached a record high last year. Federal policymakers have a fresh opportunity in the next six months to make an impact.
The Need for Food and Need for Social Interaction Show Similar Reactions in the Brain
A new study finds similarities in people’s craving for food in response to being hungry and people’s craving for social interaction in response to isolation. The research authors note this supports the notion that social interaction is a basic human need, similar to food and sleep.Â