Light, Sleep and Mental Health

• Patients and Families, Sleep Disorders

Light, both natural and artificial, can affect our health and mental health in several different ways. Depending on the time of day, light exposure can promote or disrupt sleep. A persistently disrupted sleep cycle can contribute to a variety of health problems, including heart disease, obesity and mental health disorders. Research is also beginning to clarify non-circadian effects of light – light can have a direct impact on the sleep and mood centers in the brain. 

Women, Disasters and Resilience

• Depression, Trauma, Women

Do women experience disasters, including planning, preparedness, response and recovery, differently than men? That is the question examined in a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The report looks at the long-held notion in disaster behavioral health research that "women are more vulnerable to adverse mental health consequences of disaster than are men."

Social-Emotional Learning Interventions in Preschool Can Help Long-term Mental Well-being

When young children don't have the opportunity to develop social, emotional and self-regulation skills they begin at a disadvantage and the challenges they face as a result can compound with the demands of school and growing up. But a social-emotional learning intervention in preschool can benefit disadvantaged children's mental well-being into their teens, according to a new study published in APA's American Journal of Psychiatry.

Remaining Calm in Volatile Times

• President Blog

Last month, faced with an unprecedented amount of social unrest in the lead-up to this year’s election, APA issued a statement calling for calm. As we continue to hear about the threats on individual lives and see the violence in the lead up to the January presidential inauguration, I reiterate that call.

Tips for Family Mental Well-being During the Pandemic: Young Children to Elderly Parents

• Patients and Families

Families are continuing to cope with challenges during the pandemic and many are juggling multiple roles, including working from home and caring for children and elderly parents. The American Psychiatric Association Foundation recently hosted a virtual town hall addressing Mentally Healthy Families in Times of a Pandemic with geriatric psychiatrist Uyen-Khanh Quang-Dang, M.D., M.S., Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, and psychiatrist Lisa Harding, M.D., clinical instructor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine.