457 Results
As Americans Emerge from Pandemic, Many Report Adopting Better Habits, While One in Five Are Smoking or Drinking More
As states lifted masking requirements and infection numbers dropped late this winter, the majority of Americans reported their mood was stable since January (64%) and that the pandemic either hadn’t changed their daily habits (49%) or had changed them for the better (26%). However, nearly three in 10 (28%) rated their mental health as merely fair or poor, and almost a fifth reported that they were smoking (17%) or drinking (18%) more.
Nearly One in Three People Know Someone Addicted to Opioids; More than Half of Millennials believe it is Easy to Get Illegal Opioids
The opioid crisis continues to weigh heavily on the minds of Americans, according to a new national poll released today by the American Psychiatric Association, (APA). Nearly a third of Americans say they know someone who is or has been addicted to opioids or prescription painkillers. Nearly half feel it is extremely or somewhat easy to access opioids for illicit use. Americans strongly favor improving access to treatment over imposing stricter punishments to address the problem.
Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Psychotherapy Outcomes
Artificial intelligence, the ability of a computer program or a machine to think and learn, is increasingly being used in many areas, including mental health treatment. A new study uses artificial intelligence to measure psychotherapy treatment and to examine links between specific aspects of the therapy and outcomes. This information could potentially lead to improvements in psychotherapy.
Warm Lines: Providing Help Before a Crisis Develops
A warm line is a confidential, free phone service offering mental health support. Unlike a crisis line or hotline, they are not intended for emergency situations. Warm lines are typically staffed by volunteer or paid peers—people with personal experience with mental health disorders. They use their experience to better understand and support callers, offering conversation, emotional support and information on local mental health services and other community services when needed.
Grieving During a Pandemic
Coronavirus has taken the lives of more than 130,000 Americans and it continues devastating communities across the nation. It has also drastically changed the way families and friends can grieve their losses—those lost to COVID-19 and deaths from other causes that are also continuing during the pandemic.
LGBTQ Youth Face Mental Health Challenges: Social Support and Safe Spaces Make a Difference
More than four in 10 LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to The Trevor Project’s third annual survey out last May. Meanwhile, nearly half (46%) of LGBTQ youth reported wanting psychological or emotional counseling from a mental health professional but were unable to receive it in.
How Nutrition Impacts Mental Health
The relationship between nutrition and mental health is a hot topic, and it was the subject of a recent panel discussion at the APA’s online Annual Meeting in early May. A panel of experts reviewed research on the potential roles of nutrition in the causes of, recovery from and potential resilience against psychiatric illness.
Only One in 10 Youths in Community Justice Systems Who Need It Are Getting Behavioral Health Treatment
Youths entering the juvenile justice system are often identified as needing help for substance use and mental health concerns, yet very few—only one in ten—receive needed behavioral health services, according to a new study in Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
City Living and Mental Well-being
More than half the world’s population lives in cities, and the number is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades. Living in urban areas has been associated with increased risk for mental disorders, including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. Research using functional magnetic resonance imaging has identified changes in the brain indicating that urban upbringing and city living are linked to social stress processing.
May Issues of APA Journals Cover Cognitive Impacts of Long-Term Cannabis Use and More
The May issues of two of the American Psychiatric Association’s journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Services are available online. Also available is the latest issue of Focus.
What are School Mental Health Programs, and Why Are They Important?
As children and adolescents returned to school this fall, they did so in what the Surgeon General has labelled a crisis in mental health. Even before the pandemic, around one in five children had a mental health disorder. Meanwhile, nearly 50 million children attend public schools across the nation. About half of those schools perform mental health screenings, and 42% provide mental health services. States across the nation have recently passed laws to ensure more provision of these services in
APA Statement on Mental Health Provisions in Federal End-of-Year Spending Package
In response to Congressional passage of H.R. 2617, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) today issued the following statement.