APA Board of Trustees Voting Is Open Until Jan. 31

• What APA is Doing For You

APA members are encouraged to do their part to steer the future of the organization and psychiatry by casting their ballots for open positions on the APA Board of Trustees, including national and area offices. The Board sets APA’s priorities, policies, and budgets.

What Is Forest Bathing and How Does it Benefit Mental and Physical Health?

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

For many people, a walk in the forest has long been a relaxing and rejuvenating escape from daily stresses. There is growing medical evidence that immersing oneself in a forest environment can have significant physical and mental health benefits.

The Menstrual Cycle and Mental Health

• Patients and Families, Suicide and self-harm, Women

Premenstrual exacerbation (PME) of psychiatric symptoms (worsening of mental health conditions just prior to a woman’s period), is not a new term or idea. Yet PME of psychiatric symptoms such as depression, mania, and psychosis, to name a few, has been understudied compared to other illnesses related to the menstrual cycle. The work that has been done surrounding this idea has mostly asked women to report past experience of worsening psychiatric symptoms around their menstrual cycle. This is problematic in research because it can be difficult to remember specifics of symptom changes

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.

Rosalynn Carter: Ahead of Her Time as a Mental Health Advocate

This is how Former First Lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter opened her remarks to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) on May 16, 1979. Nearly 45 years later, it might seem odd to younger generations that mental health was ever treated as a taboo topic. For many, COVID-19 accelerated an irreversible transition to speaking openly about mental health and substance use disorders – but historically, the topic has been treated quite differently by the press, in the workplace, and by legislators.