470 Results
Light, Sleep and Mental Health
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.
What the Pandemic Is Teaching Us About How to Address Addiction
NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., discusses recent findings she will be elaborating on at the 2023 APA Annual Meeting.
New APA Poll Finds Americans Rate Cigarettes as Most Unsafe, Addictive Substance Among Options Surveyed
In a new national poll, Americans widely agreed that cigarettes are unsafe (84%) and addictive (87%), and yet a fifth (21%) reported smoking every day. The vast majority of people believe alcohol, opioids, and vapes are addictive, and about two-thirds said alcohol and opioids are unsafe, while more than three-fourths said vaping is unsafe.
Updates in the Understanding of Autism
April is Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting inclusion for individuals with autism. Once considered a rare condition, autism is now recognized as affecting 2% of the general population. Consequently, the needs of autistic individuals have become a focal point for health care professionals, especially given that those with autism experience psychiatric concerns at significantly higher rates than those without.
What Are the Latest Scientific Trends in Psychiatry and How Will They Impact Care?
Scientific advancements and technology are giving psychiatrists increasing abilities to deliver treatments tailored to individual needs. Some of these include advancements in the areas of genetics, biomarkers and imaging.
Addiction: Treatment, Recovery, and the Role of Family & Friends
A conversation with Monica Taylor-Desir, M.D., M.P.H., a member of the board of the APA Foundation, and Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A., APA president-elect on what addiction looks like, what treatment looks like, and how family and friends can help a person in recovery.
A Presidential Initiative for Mental Health
The 2020 presidential election will be one of the most consequential in recent memory. Whoever is inaugurated the following January will have to contend with a growing health care crisis, particularly where mental health and substance use disorders are concerned.
What Will Protect Health Care Workers’ Mental Health During the Pandemic?
Health care workers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic since March, many of them facing very difficult and stressful situations, such as long hours, lack of equipment, unknowns about spread of the virus, and concerns for their own safety and that of their families. Some health care workers have lost colleagues or family members to COVID-19. The mental health concerns the workforce faces are devastating and may linger long after the pandemic ends.
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.
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.
Maternal Mental Health: A Brief Look at the Impact of Birth Trauma
For some women, childbirth can be a traumatic event often associated with birth complications or a near miss for maternal mortality 1. A traumatic birth involves a perceived or life-threatening series of events that result in severe injury or death of the infant or mother. This traumatic experience increases the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth and can lead to challenges with attachment between the birthing parent and their infant
New APA Poll: Most Americans Believe They’d Know How to Get Help for a Loved One Living with Addiction; Define Recovery as “Being Able to Function Better in Life”
Nearly three in four Americans (71%) say they’d know how to get a friend or family member help with addiction, and most would refer a loved one to recovery treatment (73%) and or initiate a conversation with them about it (74%). As America marks National Recovery Month this September, the majority of adults (65%) said that recovery from substance use disorder or other mental illness means “being able to function better in life,” when asked to choose among a variety of different options.