Five Ways to Support LGBTQ+ Mental Health

• LGBTQ+, Patients and Families, Public awareness

Family and friends can play a valuable role in supporting the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals. LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely than others to experience mental health challenges.

Fostering Community Inclusion for Recovery for People with Serious Mental Illness

• Patients and Families, Serious mental illness

Meaningful community participation such as employment, education, recreation and leisure activities, religious and spiritual activities, and engagement in civil life is a critical part of recovering from serious mental illness (SMI). In a session at APA’s Annual Meeting in May, speakers provided an overview of how to promote community inclusion for persons with SMI from a variety of perspectives.

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?”