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The ‘Q’ in LGBTQ: Queer/Questioning
Most people are familiar with the term LGBT—lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. The acronym increasingly includes the letter Q, LGBTQ, referring to queer and/or questioning individuals. The terms queer and questioning are important because they encompass a larger number of individuals who identify as having same-sex attraction and behaviors.
APA and Coalition Outline Policy Reforms to Improve Mental Health Care in Criminal Justice System
- By Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., FRCP-E, FRCPsych
The criminal justice system bears an alarming share of the load of mental health care in the United States, often placing people with mental illness and substance use disorders in systems that have neither the resources nor the expertise to provide them the care they need. An estimated two million people with serious mental illness are booked in our jails each year. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that only a third of inmates with mental illness receive treatment, and for those that do, too often they receive less than the optimal care.
New Postage Stamp: Healing PTSD
Today, Dec. 2, the U.S. Postal service begins selling a new stamp, the PTSD Healing stamp, that will help raise funds for people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). About 7-8% of people will have PTSD at some point in their lives, including about 10% of women and about 4% of men..
Is Social Jet Lag Dragging You Down?
Social jet lag refers to the mismatch between a person’s internal clock and their daily schedules. For most people that means the difference in sleep schedules between weekdays (school or workdays) and weekends (non-workdays).
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, is a time to remember, to educate and to decrease stigma around HIV/AIDS. The theme of this year's World AIDS Day is "Communities Make the Difference," recognizing the essential role that communities have played supporting people living with HIV and advocating for better access to prevention and treatment. For people with HIV, it’s important to take care of both physical health and mental health. People with HIV have increased risk for mental health problems.