APA Blogs
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Olympian Mindset: The Role of Sports Psychiatry
- By Brook Choulet, M.D.
The journey to becoming an Olympian is as much a mental endeavor as a physical one. Behind every gold medal and record-breaking performance lies preparation, mental clarity, resilience, physical training, and sacrifices. Athletes face internal and external pressures from family and coaches to their self-criticism and strides toward perfection. These factors can ultimately lead to detrimental effects on performance. However, through optimizing their mental health and overall well-being, athletes can harness the strength of their minds, leading to mental clarity, focus, and record-breaking performances.
The Impact of Trauma – Even from a Distance
Many Americans have been repeatedly exposed to images and videos of disturbing violent scenes in the news and on social media. It is widely known that direct exposure to traumatic events can lead to mental health impacts such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet even without direct exposure, indirect and repeated exposure to videos of violent racist attacks can also have harmful effects on mental health.
Marking Two Years of 988: The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Two years ago, on July 16, 2022, a new, easy-to-remember, three-digit number (9-8-8) to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline became available across the United States. The three-digit number provides easy access to crisis services for people with mental health and substance use issues and helps reduce the stigma surrounding these conditions. The 9-8-8 number is considered the 9-1-1 of mental health and substance use issues. The goal of 9-8-8 is to have 24/7 crisis call centers (someone to talk to), mobile crisis teams (someone to respond to crises), and crisis stabilization programs (somewhere to go).
Mental Health Equity Champion Spotlight: Lisa Fortuna
This quarter’s Mental Health Equity Champion is Lisa Fortuna, M.D., M.P.H., M.Div., professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the University of California Riverside School of Medicine.
An App for Therapy? Exploring Digital Therapeutics
In May 2024, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first app for the treatment of depression, Rejoyn. This new smartphone app is intended to help treat people who don’t fully respond to antidepressants and it is expected to be available for patients starting this summer. This is the latest in a series of FDA approvals of digital therapeutics for mental health conditions