“Nowhere to Turn”: COVID-19 and Caregiver Stress

• Older adults, Patients and Families

“I need help, and I have nowhere to turn.” I find this a frighteningly common refrain among my patients who are also caregivers for people with dementia, autism, or children with a panoply of mental health conditions who need consistency and structure. As an individual psychiatrist, there seems to be no option, and I simply listen.

Personality Types and Traits Impact How We Cope with Loneliness and Isolation

• Depression, Patients and Families

A new study looks at the issue of loneliness, a growing public health concern even before the current environment of social distancing and self-isolation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study looked at older adults living in senior living communities and characteristics that help some people avoid feeling lonely as they age.

Earn CME and Sharpen Your Skills at the Spring Highlights Meeting

• President Blog

When the Board of Trustees concluded that APA Annual Meeting could not be held due to travel and large-gathering restrictions in Philadelphia associated with the outbreak of COVID-19, it was a painful, but correct decision. Many of our members depend on the Annual Meeting to earn their CME credits, hone their clinical skills, learn about the latest in groundbreaking research, and network with friends and colleagues from all over the world.

Study Finds Sharp Increase in the Number of Adults with Autism Receiving Disability Benefits

The number of adults with autism receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits has risen steadily in recent years, according to a recent new study published in Psychiatric Services. The study found that between 2005 and 2015, the number of adults with autism receiving SSI increased by nearly three-fold, significantly greater than the increase in SSI recipients with intellectual disability and other mental disorders.

The Power of Pets for Your Well-being

• ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Depression

Most pet owners are well aware that pets make our lives better, but they can also help improve our health. Research continues to identify many ways pets help improve our health, including helping maintain mental health and well-being. More than two-thirds of us, about 68% of U.S. households, have a pet.