Eating Healthy for Brain Health and Staying on Budget

We know that what we eat affects our physical health, but evidence continues to mount that what we eat significantly impacts our mental health also. For example, a healthy diet may be able to help prevent and treat depression, reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, and help maintain the mental health of children and adolescents.

Talking about Veteran’s Mental Health

• Depression, Military and Veterans, Trauma

The questions and answers below are some adapted from a recent Twitter chat APA hosted on veteran’s mental health.

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.

Air Pollution’s Impact on Mental Health

• Patients and Families, Teens and young adults

Air pollution is a major environmental health risk — the links between air pollution and health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are well established. Though less well-understood, there is substantial evidence that air pollution also impacts 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.

Emerging Topics Webinars

APA presents the Emerging Topics Webinar Series—learning opportunities analyzing the critical challenges faced in the profession and offering practical solutions from subject matter experts.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Learn about Seasonal Affective Disorder including symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

American Psychiatric Association Members to Visit Hill Virtually

As part of its Federal Advocacy Conference, members of the American Psychiatric Association will be participating in a virtual fly-in this Thursday to speak with their federal representatives and senators about policies and resources to increase access to needed mental health and substance use disorder services. The fly-in comes as COVID-19 continues to impact rates of anxiety, depression and overdoses in the United States.

Yoga as a Mental Health Treatment

• Anxiety, Depression, Patients and Families

In a recent review in the journal Focus, Maren Nyer, Ph.D., and colleagues highlight the mounting evidence that yoga is helpful for a variety of mental health conditions and support integrating yoga into conventional mental health treatment.

Explore Sessions on Well-Being and Burnout

Burnout is a serious concern for residents and physicians alike, and much more prevalent as clinicians and staff have been stretched thin with pandemic-related care.

Latino Youth: Overcoming Challenges to Mental Health and Access to Care

• Anxiety, Depression, Diverse populations, Patients and Families, Trauma

Latino youth are more likely than their peers to have mental health issues, which often go unaddressed and untreated, according to a recent review of research by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Many Latino youth face several stressors related to family life and to community/school that can impact their mental health.

On the Phone, In a Group, Online: New Study Evaluates Effectiveness of Different Therapy Delivery Methods

• Depression, Patients and Families

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown an effective treatment for depression and other mental health conditions. CBT helps people identify and change thinking and behaviors that are harmful or ineffective and, instead, focus on solving current problems. In addition to being delivered in individual therapy, CBT can be offered in other ways, such as group therapy and self-help programs. A new meta-analysis examining various delivery formats found group, telephone-administered, and gui