A Few Phone Calls From Trained Volunteers Can Make a Difference for People with Depression

• Depression, Older adults, Patients and Families

New research finds that volunteers who make a few empathetic phone calls can significantly improve others’ loneliness and depressive symptoms among adults. This type of program could help address the significant shortage of mental health professionals and improve mental healthcare, the study authors suggest.

Maternal Mental Health: A Brief Look at the Impact of Birth Trauma

• Diverse populations, Patients and Families, Trauma

For some women, childbirth can be a traumatic event often associated with birth complications or a near miss for maternal mortality 1. A traumatic birth involves a perceived or life-threatening series of events that result in severe injury or death of the infant or mother. This traumatic experience increases the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth and can lead to challenges with attachment between the birthing parent and their infant

After College: Facing the Uncertainty of What’s Next and Prioritizing Mental Health Care

It’s one of the biggest transitions that one can experience in life; a piece of paper that embodies the years of hard work, friendships made, mentors gained, and a little bit of fun in between. Most parents dream of this moment: their child walking across a stage and receiving the diploma that opens a new chapter of life. There is much celebration and reward surrounding college graduations, yet why is it that students approaching the end of their college career shudder when they are asked “Are you excited to graduate?”

Schools Out! Tips For Taking Advantage of Summer Break to De-Stress from the Hustle and Bustle of the School Year

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

It’s that time of year again when the days are heating up and the spirit of care-free living takes over as school starts to pause for summer break. Kids work all year with the end goal of summer always in mind. The questions often on parents’ minds are: What should I engage my kids in during the summer break? How do I make the most of the time with my kids?

Thriving in Old Age

• By Maureen Nash, M.D., M.S., FAPA, FACP
• Older adults, Patients and Families

In honor of Older Americans Month in May, I wanted to break down stereotypes about older adults. In the United States, we tend to split older adults into two groups: we celebrate the few older adults who live past 100 with TV stories or newspaper articles, and then we assume most older adults have unbearable burdens and are languishing in understaffed facilities.