Anxiety Disorders
Learn about anxiety disorders, including symptoms, risk factors, treatment options and answers to your questions.
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Men, Women, and Differing Responses to Stress
Stress affects people in several ways—it activates adrenaline and other hormones, the nervous system and immune system. While not all stress is harmful, and some can even be beneficial, chronic or toxic stress can contribute to health problems. “Men and women react differently to toxic stress because their brains are wired differently,” notes Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., of The Rockefeller University, * “and therefore they may be at risk for different stress-related illnesses.” For example, as a result
School-Based Program Brings Mental Health Services to Children in Rural Areas
A program in West Virginia is using an innovative approach to bring much needed mental health services to children in rural communities. In 2016, the West Virginia Children’s Access Network began providing mental health services in rural schools via telepsychiatry.
It’s Time to Ring the Alarm During Black History Month
The Congressional Black Caucus’s report on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health stated it best—we need to Ring the Alarm regarding the crisis of Black youth suicide in America.
New National Poll Finds Americans Show Strong Support for Mental Health Coverage
Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, overwhelmingly feel that insurance should cover mental health. Seventy-seven percent of all Americans said private health insurance offered through an employer or union should cover mental health, including 76 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Republicans. This is according to a new national poll released today by the American Psychiatric Association.
Healing Through Art
Visual arts, whether you’re engaging in them or just appreciating them, can bring enjoyment and encouragement, but expressing oneself through art can also have physical and mental health benefits. Art therapy, a type of psychotherapy, helps provide a way to express emotions and experiences not easily expressed in words. It is not about the final product; it is about healing through the process of making art. Research has identified a range of physical and mental health benefits of art and art t
Brain Imaging Shows the Impacts of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is an effective treatment for many mental health disorders. Advances in brain imaging are increasingly allowing researchers to observe the changes in the brain resulting from psychotherapy treatment.
Teens and Digital Technology During the Pandemic
A new report from Common Sense, Tweens, Teens, Tech, and Mental Health: Coming of Age in an Increasingly Digital, Uncertain, and Unequal World, addresses the connections between teens’ use of digital technology and mental health. It acknowledges the critical importance of digital connection for teens, especially during the pandemic, and provides guidance on identifying youth who might be at risk for potential harmful effects of social media use.
Cataract Surgery and Hearing Aids May Help Reduce the Risk of Dementia in Older Adults
Dementia affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide and about 4 million in the U.S., about 9% of adults 65 or older. In the past, several factors have been identified that reduce the risk of dementia, including educational level, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, depression, social isolation. Recent research says that in older adults, treatments for hearing and vision problems can also help reduce the risk of dementia.
LGBTQ Youth Face Mental Health Challenges: Social Support and Safe Spaces Make a Difference
More than four in 10 LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to The Trevor Project’s third annual survey out last May. Meanwhile, nearly half (46%) of LGBTQ youth reported wanting psychological or emotional counseling from a mental health professional but were unable to receive it in.
The Economic Cost of Depression is Increasing; Direct Costs are Only a Small Part
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and can cause tremendous challenge and burden for individuals and families. It also carries a large economic cost. The economic burden of major depressive disorder among U.S. adults was an estimated $236 billion in 2018, an increase of more than 35% since 2010 (year 2020 values), according to research published in early May in the journal Pharmacoeconomics.
How Nutrition Impacts Mental Health
The relationship between nutrition and mental health is a hot topic, and it was the subject of a recent panel discussion at the APA’s online Annual Meeting in early May. A panel of experts reviewed research on the potential roles of nutrition in the causes of, recovery from and potential resilience against psychiatric illness.
Two-Thirds of Black Americans Believe Climate Change Is Hurting Americans’ Health, According to New Poll
According to the latest Healthy Minds Monthly* poll from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Black Americans are more concerned than Americans overall about the health impacts of climate change. More than two-thirds (67%) of Black American adults believe climate change is already hurting Americans’ health (58% of all adults), and more than half (54%) agree that it’s impacting their mental health (48% of all adults). In addition, more than half of Black Americans (51%) reported being anxi