Depression

Dr. Widge presented at ADAA’s 2023 conference on how he believes “mental disorders are brain network disorders” and how treatments like Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) are quite possibly the wave of the future for certain mood and anxiety disorders, and particularly those that are treatment-resistant. 

Shame is “just” a feeling, but it can become very big and very painful. If it feels very big, it doesn’t mean there is something even worse about you, but rather that there are layers to it. We can make it smaller and more manageable by talking about it and listening to it. When you understand it and the feeling is smaller, it will be easier for you to work with it.  

The headlines and the CDC report are indeed alarming, but they should serve as a wakeup call to all of us. Yes, we should think seriously about why we are seeing a steep decline in the mental health of teenage girls, but we have to come together now as parents, family, friends, educators, clinicians, providers, and as a society to support, enhance and establish more preventive measures for our youth.

Working with Black churches to create a better today and a much better tomorrow in the field (literally) of mental health care for African Americans are three Black leaders in mental health who will present at the 2023 ADAA Conference. ADAA is excited to have Bernadine Waller, PhD, Atasha Jordan, MBA, MD and Kimberly Arnold, MPH, PhD discuss their work, research and findings in a presentation titled Implementing Evidence-Based Mental Health Interventions in Black Churches.

Athletes will continue to work hard, push themselves, and make their bodies do things many of us can only marvel at, but the attention and awareness to mental health in the field of sports gives them a fighting chance with conditions like anxiety and depression.

From our community partner HeadsUpGuys - When it comes to seasonal struggles, the best offense is a good defense. If you are prone to SAD, it is a good idea to take proactive steps leading up to the seasons when you typically notice symptoms.

Our website contains extensive resources for and from both professionals and the public—but do you know where to find them or what we offer? Here are some of the free evidence-based resources located on our website.

These generous people lend us their voices, their stories and experiences, and help us shed light on underreported issues like male body dysmorphia and the traumatic effects on the family and friends of a person who died by suicide. Some even use their incredible talents in sports to reach individuals around the world. 

For the second year in a row, ADAA member David H. Rosmarin, PhD, ABPP, ran a fundraising campaign in conjunction with his Philadelphia marathon, raising a total of over $5,000 for ADAA. Dr. Rosmarin is raising awareness about depression and sat down with ADAA to talk about this mental health illness.

A newly published study on depression in the American Journal for Preventive Medicine reports that from 2015 to 2020 the prevalence of depression in the United States, particularly among adolescents and young adults in the nation, increased and that the pandemic contributed to a worsening mental health crisis.