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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How to Boost Mental Health Through Better Nutrition
The relationship between nutrition and mental health is bidirectional: the foods we eat affect our mental health, and our mental health status affects what and how well we eat. This month, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) are partnering to highlight the interconnectedness of nutrition and mental health. To learn more about how the public views diet and mental health, APA conducted a poll between March 16 and 17, 2023, among a sample of 2,200
What Happens When You Quit, or at Least Really Cut Back, Your Social Media Use?
For many people, checking social media regularly and spending a lot of time on it is a part of everyday life. But what is the impact on your well-being if you just quit for a while, or at least significantly cut back? You’ll probably be at least a little bit better off, according to a couple of recent studies. Substantial research over the past few years has linked social media use with reduced well-being, sleep problems and increased loneliness, depression and mental distress.
How Endometriosis, a Common, Painful Condition Many Women Face, Can Impact Mental Health
Endometriosis is a common, often painful condition in which the type of tissue that forms the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) is found outside the uterus. The most common symptom of endometriosis is chronic pelvic pain, especially just before and during the menstrual period. Endometriosis is also associated with mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and a reduced quality of life.
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, is a time to remember, to educate and to decrease stigma around HIV/AIDS. The theme of this year@s World AIDS Day is @Communities Make the Difference,@ recognizing the essential role that communities have played supporting people living with HIV and advocating for better access to prevention and treatment. For people with HIV, it’s important to take care of both physical health and mental health. People with HIV have increased risk for mental health problems.
Team Sports May Help Build Resilience After Trauma
Traumatic and other negative experiences in childhood can have lasting effects, including increased chances of physical health issues and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. A new study finds that among people who had adverse childhood experiences, participation in sports during adolescence is associated with better adult mental health
Irritability in Children Can be More than Just a Bad Mood
Irritability, defined as a low threshold to experience anger in response to frustration, is one of the main reasons children are referred to a mental health evaluation. Irritability can appear as age-inappropriate temper outbursts and a sullen, grouchy mood and is associated with several child and adolescent mental health conditions.
Men, Women, and Differing Responses to Stress
Stress affects people in several ways—it activates adrenaline and other hormones, the nervous system and immune system. While not all stress is harmful, and some can even be beneficial, chronic or toxic stress can contribute to health problems. “Men and women react differently to toxic stress because their brains are wired differently,” notes Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., of The Rockefeller University, * “and therefore they may be at risk for different stress-related illnesses.” For example, as a result
Talking about Veteran’s Mental Health
The questions and answers below are some adapted from a recent Twitter chat APA hosted on veteran’s mental health.
VIDEO: Richard Kogan, M.D., on The Mind and Music of Tchaikovsky
Richard Kogan, M.D., was scheduled to deliver a talk on “Tchaikovsky: Music and Melancholy,” at the APA Annual Meeting in April. It was to be part of a series of lecture-performances that he has presented over the years at APA’s Annual Meetings on the connections between musical artistry and mental illness.
Online Support for People with Mental Health Conditions
While these unprecedented times are stressful for everyone, people with mental health conditions may face particular challenges. Many organizations offer ways to connect and find support online or by phone for general mental health and for specific conditions.
Latino Youth: Overcoming Challenges to Mental Health and Access to Care
Latino youth are more likely than their peers to have mental health issues, which often go unaddressed and untreated, according to a recent review of research by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Many Latino youth face several stressors related to family life and to community/school that can impact their mental health.
On the Phone, In a Group, Online: New Study Evaluates Effectiveness of Different Therapy Delivery Methods
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown an effective treatment for depression and other mental health conditions. CBT helps people identify and change thinking and behaviors that are harmful or ineffective and, instead, focus on solving current problems. In addition to being delivered in individual therapy, CBT can be offered in other ways, such as group therapy and self-help programs. A new meta-analysis examining various delivery formats found group, telephone-administered, and gui