APA Calls on Administration to Provide Humane Care for Asylum Seekers at U.S. Border

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is deeply concerned with the recent reports regarding the conditions children and their families who are seeking asylum at the U.S. border are being held in, and the traumatic affects those conditions will have on their mental health. In response, the APA released this statement from APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D.:

AJ Klein, Linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, Talks Mental Health and the NFL

• Depression, Men, Patients and Families

Austin Kayser, a 4th year medical student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health had the opportunity to sit down and talk with NFL linebacker AJ Klein of the Buffalo Bills. They talked about mental health in the NFL, stigma, recent high-profile cases of athletes sitting out for mental health reasons, and the value of therapy, among other topics.

New Book from APA Publishing Examines a New Path Forward for Treating Mental Illness: Precision Psychiatry

Learn more about New Book from APA Publishing Examines a New Path Forward for Treating Mental Illness: Precision Psychiatry at psychiatry.org

APA President Testifies Before U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce on Mental Health During COVID-19 Pandemic

Learn more about APA President Testifies Before U.S. House Committee on Energy @ Commerce on Mental Health During COVID-19 Pandemic at psychiatry.org

Strained Relationships, Past Trauma and Family Responsibilities Contribute to Loneliness among Midlife Women

Urban minority midlife women commonly experience significant loneliness due to strained family and romantic relationships, responsibilities as a caregiver, past trauma and social isolation, according to new research being presented today at the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting here. Supportive relationships were identified as protective against feelings of loneliness.

Thousands of Mental Health Apps Available: Supporting Evidence Not So Plentiful

• Patients and Families

There are more than 10,000 mental or behavioral health apps publicly available; however, there is little available information on the quality and effectiveness of the apps, “leaving consumers with very little to go on when trying to determine which apps might be helpful and worthwhile.” Several recent studies highlight the need for better information on the effectiveness and quality of mental health apps.

COVID-19: Mitigating Risks for Contagion Stigma

• Patients and Families

Pandemics can produce contagion stigma in which specific ethnic, national, racial, or religious groups are targeted with blame. Targeted populations can be subjected to stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and social exclusion.

COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Racism

• Diverse populations, Patients and Families

For Asian Americans, including myself, a run to the grocery store might mean additional risks under the COVID-19 pandemic like physical and verbal assaults. During stay-at-home orders, there were more than 1,700 anti-Asian incidents reported to the Stop AAPI Hate online tracker, managed by several Asian American interest organizations.

APA Access Agenda Update: Connecting Patients to Care and Coverage

• What APA is Doing For You

During the pandemic, Americans have experienced higher rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use. Our country needs to meet the increasing demand for early identification and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. The federal government took a tremendous step forward in December, when it created new authority for the Department of Labor to ensure that mental health and substance use disorders were covered by insurance. Here are three more solutions to help meet the demand

Clinical Guidelines on Eating Disorders: A Practical Tool for Trainees and Clinicians Alike

The lifetime prevalence for all eating disorders worldwide is estimated to be 7.8%, according to a systematic review covering 2000-2018.(1) The total economic cost in the United States alone in 2018-2019 was estimated to be nearly $65 billion dollars.(2) These statistics are prior to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been associated with a significant rise in the reported frequency of eating disorders, particularly among adolescents and young adults.

Do the Words Matter?: The Language We Use for Mental Health

• Mental health disorders, Patients and Families, Public awareness

Several general terms used to describe mental disorders are understood by most people to have similar meanings, according to a new study published in BMC Psychiatry. However, with specific mental disorder concepts and terms, the study found some differences between public perceptions and the descriptions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuu56a5l of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Maternal Mental Health: A Brief Look at the Impact of Birth Trauma

• Diverse populations, Patients and Families, Trauma

For some women, childbirth can be a traumatic event often associated with birth complications or a near miss for maternal mortality 1. A traumatic birth involves a perceived or life-threatening series of events that result in severe injury or death of the infant or mother. This traumatic experience increases the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth and can lead to challenges with attachment between the birthing parent and their infant