What Is Depression?
Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable.
Depression
Learn about depression, including symptoms, risk factors, treatment options and answers to your questions.
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The Basics of Augmented Intelligence: Some Factors Psychiatrists Need to Know Now
Following the release of GPT4 in ChatGPT, augmented intelligence (AI) has been in the news more than ever. You may have tried out ChatGPT on your own for something fun (e.g., “Write a joke from the perspective of a cat,”) or something serious (e.g., “Write a draft lesson plan for a psychiatry residency program about treatment-resistant depression in adults”). A simultaneous strength and challenge of AI is that core to the technology is “learning” and evolution, making it difficult to define a st
Celebrating the First Year of Our “Mental Health Care Works Campaign”: The 2024 APA Foundation Benefit
Meet us at the historic and exquisite Cipriani’s on Broadway to help commemorate a successful first year of the Mental Health Care Works campaign.
Coping After Trauma and Disaster: Mental Health Tips and Resources from APA
As heat waves, hurricanes and fires are impacting millions across the country, the American Psychiatric Association offers some tips and resources on coping with the mental health impacts of aftermath of disaster-related trauma.
Mental Health and Emergency Medical Experts Encourage Support for Clinicians Health During Pandemic
In a joint statement, emergency medicine and other leading medical associations, academics and psychiatry experts outline steps to support the mental health of emergency physicians and other health professionals currently risking their lives to treat patients during this pandemic.
Youth Mental Health: Prevention, Support and Intervention
Adolescence can be a vulnerable time for mental health concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences have had an impact on the mental health of people of all ages, including teens, with continued distance learning, isolation and limited sports and activities. However, proactive preventive interventions can make a difference.
Caring for Pregnant Women: A Psychiatrist’s Guide
Every psychiatrist will see a pregnant woman or other patient who is pregnant someday. When that person presents to your office, will you be ready? Many of us received little if any training on the subject, so the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Women’s Mental Health would like to help. Read on for five things every psychiatrist needs to know before a pregnant patient walks in your door.
Sleeping Like a Pro
Athletes are particularly adept at combining mind and body to maximize performance in sport. However, the same does not always apply to performance in sleep. Most researchers and doctors recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night at a minimum, and less than that is considered insufficient sleep. While the overall rate of insufficient sleep in the general population is high, athletes are even more likely to suffer from lack of shut eye. Whether it’s due to traveling, practice schedules, or balanci
Returning to School as the Pandemic Draws on: Addressing Concerns, Fears and Worries
Across the country, communities and families are challenged by the prospect of sending children back to school amidst the ongoing pandemic uncertainties. You and members of your community may be wondering: what should I consider when choosing to return to the classroom? How do we keep students and teachers safe? How are students coping mentally and emotionally? How can we tell when a child or teen might need help and support from a professional? How can we make sure children can access the help
Cannabis: Understanding the Risks
At a recent session at the APA Annual Meeting, a panel of psychiatrists addressed many of the common misconceptions around cannabis. With more states legalizing cannabis and changing public perceptions, there is confusion around its safety and uses.
APA Access Agenda Update: Connecting Patients to Care and Coverage
During the pandemic, Americans have experienced higher rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use. Our country needs to meet the increasing demand for early identification and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. The federal government took a tremendous step forward in December, when it created new authority for the Department of Labor to ensure that mental health and substance use disorders were covered by insurance. Here are three more solutions to help meet the demand
Hoarding: A Look at the Motivations to Save Things
Possessions have a magical quality for all of us. Our most cherished ones contain an essence that goes beyond their physical qualities, like a ticket stub from a favorite concert, a gift from a dear friend or a piece of clothing belonging to a lost loved one. Most of us own many things of this sort, but our ownership does not interfere with our ability to live. For some people, however, ownership goes awry, and possessions accumulate and clutter living spaces, making them unusable.
The Challenges and Privileges of Caring for Veterans as a VA Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have the distinct honor of serving America’s veterans and the privilege of practicing in a functional federal healthcare system. While rewarding, the job is simultaneously an experience of perpetual demand to ensure time is most efficiently spent treating a panel of patients within a population-based care model.