Top Executives from Sixteen Major Mental Health Organizations Applaud CDC for Adding Mental Illnesses to its List of Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19

Top executives from sixteen of the nation’s leading mental health advocacy organizations applaud the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for adding mood disorders, including depression, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders to its list of underlying medical conditions associated with higher risk for severe COVID-19.

Update on Developments with Ryan Haight and Online Prescribing

Those of us involved in Telepsychiatry have been living with the Ryan Haight Act (RHA) since 2009. During this time, it has been more or less successful in achieving its original goal of reining in rogue internet pharmacies.

Is the Over-Organization of Youth Sports Taking Away from Their Benefit?

• Patients and Families

Although sports undoubtedly contribute to the positive health and well-being of student athletes, recent cultural changes in youth sports including overtraining, early sport specialization, and increased parental pressure are contributing to burnout and pushing student athletes out of sports.

Suicide and Self-Harm: Cultural Connections May Help Protect Hispanic/Latino Youth

• Diverse populations, Suicide and self-harm, Teens and young adults

Suicide is a growing concern among the Hispanic/Latino population, especially among youth. Research finds that aspects of Hispanic/Latino culture and their associated familial and community connections may help in preventing suicide

Decriminalizing Mental Illness and Promoting Mental Health Equity 

• Diverse populations, Serious mental illness, Teens and young adults, Trauma

A poll commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found that only 1 in 5 Americans believe that those in jails and prisons are getting the mental health care they need while 75% believe mental health support should be provided for incarcerated people. 

Mental Health Equity on a Global Scale: An Interview with Dr. Pamela Collins

• Diversity News and Updates

There are more universals in the global fight to achieve mental health equity than there are differences, according to Dr. Pamela Collins, the Director of the Consortium for Global Mental Health at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Addressing the Public Mental Health Challenge of Climate Change

• Patients and Families, Public awareness, Trauma

For most Americans, the face of climate change is extreme weather and natural disasters. More than 40% of Americans live in a county impacted by a major natural disaster in the last year. In the last seven years, natural disasters cost the United States more than a trillion dollars in damage and more than 5,000 lives were lost.

Personal Perspectives on Family Engagement and Support

Ken Duckworth, M.D., chief medical officer, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) leads a deep discussion with individuals who reflect on their years of lived experience with serious mental illness (SMI) and the critical role family members played in their journeys.

Q&A on Climate Change and Mental Health with Elizabeth Haase, M.D.

• Patients and Families, Public awareness

Elizabeth Haase, M.D., former chair of the APA's Committee on Climate Change, shares some insights and advice for coping with climate change.

Let’s Talk about the Impacts of the Current Mental Health Crisis

Today, on World Mental Health Day, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) is launching a new monthly podcast to engage the public in conversations about the current mental health crisis. Each episode of Mentally Healthy Nation will be centered around an aspect of mental health that impacts the community, where people live, learn, work and worship.

APA Offers Tips for Understanding Prolonged Grief Disorder

Americans are currently facing several ongoing disasters that have caused death and suffering, such as COVID-19, the wind-down in Afghanistan, floods, fires, hurricanes and gun violence. While many Americans are mourning, some may experience prolonged grief disorder, which is characterized by incapacitating feelings of grief.

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.