What Is Depression?
Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable.
Depression
Learn about depression, including symptoms, risk factors, treatment options and answers to your questions.
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APA Celebrates One Year of LaSaludMental.org, Spanish-language Mental Health Resource Site, During Hispanic Heritage Month
The first day of Hispanic Heritage Month this year marks one year since the American Psychiatric Association (APA) launched LaSaludMental.org, the organization’s first website dedicated to providing evidence-based information and culturally competent resources in Spanish on mental health and addiction.
December Issues of APA Journals Cover Childhood Resilience and Adult Outcomes, Genetics and Postpartum Depression, Increasing Rates of Suicide Among Black Women, and More
The latest issues of two American Psychiatric Association journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Services are now available online.
Older Americans Month: Highlighting Challenges and Opportunities
An estimated one in eight older adults had a mental illness and one in 11 had a substance use disorder in the past year according to a new report on mental health and substance use concerns among older adults (adults aged 60 or older).
The Transformative Power of Music in Mental Well-Being
Music has always held a special place in our lives, forming an integral part of human culture for centuries. Whether we passively listen to our favorite songs or actively engage in music-making by singing or playing instruments, music can have a profound influence on our socio-emotional development and overall well-being.
Pregnancy, Mental and Substance Use Conditions and Treatment: Advice from Mental Health Experts
An estimated one in five childbearing persons in the U.S. experience a mental or substance use disorder before, during, or after pregnancy each year. With support from the CDC Foundation, APA has developed a series of educational materials for addressing perinatal mental health. This toolkit includes four fact sheets for patients: for people planning to become pregnant, for pregnant persons, for postpartum people, and suggestions for preparing for medical appointments.
Positive Psychiatry: Promoting Well-Being
Positive psychiatry focuses on the positive aspects of mental health. It is defined as the “science and practice of psychiatry that focuses on the study and promotion of mental health and well-being through enhancement of positive psychosocial factors,” in a recent special report in Psychiatric News by former APA President Dilip V. Jeste, M.D. As Dr. Jeste notes, while about 20% of people are affected by mental disorders, “100% of people have mental health including some positive traits. Positiv
Mindfulness in Psychiatry: A Bridge to Wellbeing for Diverse Populations
“Your breath is a tool that you have with you at all times, anywhere you go, always readily available.” Lisa Fortuna, M.D., M.P.H., MDiv, shared this insight on the therapeutic potential of the breath during the American Psychiatric Association’s virtual panel discussion “Meditation and Mindfulness: A Cultural Bridge to Mental Wellbeing.”
One in Three Students Impacted by Cyberbullying
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, raising awareness and focusing attention on ways to prevent bullying. While much of the focus is on bullying in schools, bullying can take place at home among siblings too and among adults in the workplace. Bullying also happens to people of all ages in the digital world. Cyberbullying refers to someone repeatedly and intentionally harassing, mistreating, or making fun of another person online or while using cell phones or other electronic devices.
Addressing Mental Health Stigma in African American and Other Communities of Color
To maintain good mental health, many people turn to friends, family, the church and other community supports, especially when they are going through emotional difficulty. However, there may be times when these supports are not enough to maintain emotional wellness and seeing a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, is needed.
Antisocial Personality Disorder: Often Overlooked and Untreated
Antisocial personality disorder may be one of the most misunderstood mental disorders. It is also often undiagnosed and untreated, according to a recent special report by Donald Black, M.D. in Psychiatric News.1 He referred to it as “psychiatry’s forgotten disorder,” noting that few clinicians diagnose or treat it.
The Menstrual Cycle and Mental Health
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 pro
Two in Five Americans Say Their Mood Worsens in Winter; 29% Say “Falling Back” Hurts Their Mental Health
As the nation “falls back” to standard time, Americans are twice as likely to say their mood declines in the winter (41%) as they are to say it improves (22%). But, as also found in the latest Healthy Minds Monthly Poll from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), when spring comes around, 61% report feeling better.