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Knowing about Mental Health Concerns of Friends and Family Members Reduces Stigma and Encourages People to Seek Help
A new study highlights the value of people sharing their mental health problems and treatment with friends and family. When people know a friend or family member with a mental health illness, they are more likely to recognize and understand their own mental health issues and seek treatment, according to study from researchers from Palo Alto University in Palo Alto, California
How Common are Mental Health Disorders Among Children and Teens?
An estimated 15% of children and adolescents will be diagnosed with a mental disorder before age 18, according to a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry last month.
Microaggressions: Subtle, Pervasive, Harmful
- By Jai Gandhi, M.D.
As rapper and songwriter Kanye West stated in “Never Let Me Down:” “racism’s still alive, they just be concealin’ it.” The subtle, yet insidious, nature of “concealed” forms of discrimination has garnered increasing attention in popular media. Recent films and television shows such as “Get Out” and “Dear White People,” have showcased the occurrence and effects of microaggressions. Despite intermittent attention in news outlets, this pervasive form of discrimination is often misunderstood and criticized.
The ‘Q’ in LGBTQ: Queer/Questioning
Most people are familiar with the term LGBT—lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. The acronym increasingly includes the letter Q, LGBTQ, referring to queer and/or questioning individuals. The terms queer and questioning are important because they encompass a larger number of individuals who identify as having same-sex attraction and behaviors.
APA and Coalition Outline Policy Reforms to Improve Mental Health Care in Criminal Justice System
- By Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., FRCP-E, FRCPsych
The criminal justice system bears an alarming share of the load of mental health care in the United States, often placing people with mental illness and substance use disorders in systems that have neither the resources nor the expertise to provide them the care they need. An estimated two million people with serious mental illness are booked in our jails each year. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that only a third of inmates with mental illness receive treatment, and for those that do, too often they receive less than the optimal care.