College Students Benefit from Wellness Training

• Anxiety, Depression, Patients and Families

Demand for mental health services at college counseling centers has been on the rise in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a greater mental health impact on young adults than other age groups. A new study examines the potential of a proactive, preventative approach to building resilience and promoting psychological thriving in students before they experience mental health symptoms.

8 Step Mental Health Checkup

• Healthy living for mental well-being, Patients and Families, Public awareness

We often focus more on treating illnesses, both physical and mental, than on staying healthy. But the absence of mental illness does not necessarily mean good mental health.

Online Support for People with Mental Health Conditions

• Addiction, Anxiety, Depression, Older adults, Patients and Families, Serious mental illness

While these unprecedented times are stressful for everyone, people with mental health conditions may face particular challenges. Many organizations offer ways to connect and find support online or by phone for general mental health and for specific conditions.

Hispanic Adults Show Higher Level of Worry, Anxiety This Holiday Season Than People of Other Races & Ethnicities

According to a recent poll, nearly half (48%) of Hispanic adults said that their level of stress increases during the holidays, compared to 43% of white adults, 37% of Black adults, and 41% of all adults. This year, 31% of Hispanic adults also indicated they’d be more stressed than last year, as opposed to 22% of white adults, 21% of Black adults, and 22% of all adults. That trend bore out through a number of the mental health-related poll questions, with Hispanic adults generally more worried a

Expectations, the Placebo Effect and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth

• Patients and Families

The phenomenon of high placebo response can be a “formidable challenge in clinical trials but a largely untapped resource in clinical practice,” authors Jeffrey R. Strawn, M.D., and colleagues write in a chapter in a new book from APA Publishing on prescribing mental health medication to youth.

Justice-Involved Individuals, Mental Health, and the Revolving Door

• Patients and Families, Serious mental illness, Treatment

On Sept. 20, 2022, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a draft statement recommending that U.S. adults under the age of 65 should be screened for anxiety 1. This recommendation underscores the emerging need for the inclusion of mental health screens as a part of everyday clinical practice and not simply reserved for behavioral health settings. More widespread screening will better inform treatment decisions, lead to referrals for care, and slow down, or in some cases even

April Issues of American Psychiatric Association Journals Cover Genetic Underpinnings of Common Disorders, a Digital Intervention for Depression and Anxiety in Youth, and More

The latest issues of three of the American Psychiatric Association’s journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, and The American Journal of Psychotherapy, are now available online.

May Issues of American Psychiatric Association Journals Cover New Treatments, Assessing Crisis Lines, Suicide Prevention, and More

he latest issues of three of the American Psychiatric Association’s journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services and Focus are now available online. The May issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry focuses on treatments, with articles presenting issues related to psychedelics, trichotillomania, social anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, and opioid use disorder.

Purpose in Life Can Lead to Less Stress, Better Mental Well-being

• Healthy living for mental well-being, Patients and Families

What is purpose in life? It means having a central, organizing life aim, an overall sense of direction in one's life, and a belief that one’s life activities are valuable and important — making a positive mark on the world. Research indicates that having a purpose in life is good for mental health. For example, having greater purpose in life was significantly associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety.

New Poll: COVID-19 Impacting Mental Well-Being: Americans Feeling Anxious, Especially for Loved Ones; Older Adults are Less Anxious

Nearly half of Americans (48%) are anxious about the possibility of getting coronavirus, COVID-19, and nearly four in ten Americans (40%) are anxious about becoming seriously ill or dying from coronavirus, but far more Americans (62%) are anxious about the possibility of family and loved ones getting coronavirus. This is according to a new national poll released today by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

What Will Protect Health Care Workers’ Mental Health During the Pandemic? 

• Anxiety, Depression, Patients and Families

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.  

Athletes and Isolation During the Continued COVID-19 Pandemic

• Depression, Patients and Families

In this time of COVID-19, no one wants sports back than the athletes themselves. In a recent study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin, 68% of the 3,243 high school student-athletes surveyed reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, an uptick of about 37% from past, pre-pandemic studies.