APA Blogs
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Celebrating Women’s History Month and Resilience
- By Ranna Parekh, M.D., Darcy Gruttadaro, J.D., Sejal Petal, M.P.H.
Women’s History Month highlights the contributions of women to events in history and modern society. Initially a weeklong celebration in 1980, it quickly evolved into a month in 1987 when the nonprofit organization, National Women’s History Project (NWHP) successfully lobbied Congress. Today, Women’s History Month is celebrated during March in the United States and other countries and corresponds with International Women’s Day on March 8. The 2019 theme is “Visionary women: Champions of Peace and Nonviolence.”
New Recommendations May Help Prevent Depression in New Mothers
Perinatal depression refers to depression that occurs during pregnancy or following childbirth. It affects more than one in nine new mothers and can be harmful not only for the mother, but also for the infant. Despite media attention and celebrities sharing about their experiences with peripartum depression, it very often goes unrecognized and untreated.
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.
Air Pollution and Mental Health
Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health: the link between air pollution and health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are well established. Outdoor air pollution in cities and rural areas is estimated to cause more than 4 million premature deaths a year worldwide, primarily due to heart disease, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute lower respiratory infections. Recent research is also making a connection between air pollution and mental health conditions. A 2017 study from researchers at the University of Washington, for example, found that people who live in areas with high levels of air pollution report higher levels of psychological distress.
Raising Awareness about Music and Wellness Connections
Music is often associated with mood—making us feel sad, lifting our mood, boosting our energy, or helping us relax. Music can also be therapeutic. It can help ease chronic pain, reduce anxiety and stress, help people with autism or help calm the agitation in people with Alzheimer’s.The Sound Health program is working to explore and better understand the music and wellness connection and to bring that understanding to the public. Sound Health is a partnership launched in 2016 between the Kennedy Center and National Institutes of Health.