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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.

We’ve all wished at times that we could have a therapist in our pockets. Digital mental health interventions are bringing us closer to making this a reality.

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.

Yet another community is stricken with grief. In addition to those who are experiencing direct loss, such events also take a toll on others, including those who witnessed the shooting, first responders, people who were nearby and those who hear about it through the media.

Please note that this is an opinion piece by an ADAA colleague member --    "...the conclusion of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry in July 2022 – that there is “no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations” – is not surprising, or even new. What is surprising is that popular media is interpreting the study’s conclusions to say that if serotonin is not the cause of depression, then antidepressants don’t work. Huh?   

As the old adage goes, there’s a first time for everything. In the field of psychiatry, we are cautiously celebrating a recent first-time recommendation by the US Preventive Services Task Force calling on primary care providers to screen all adults under the age of 65 for anxiety. Unlike screening for hypertension or diabetes, detecting anxiety can be a lot more challenging, and getting a valid and reliable screening tool is essential.

Residential facilities can provide a safe, structured, and treatment-oriented environment for children who need temporary care outside of the home or community. To ensure you find the right placement for your child, we recommend asking the center or facility that you are considering some important questions about their program, best practices, and regulations.

Across mental healthcare right now, there is an increased demand for services and not enough resources to meet those needs; group therapy is a means by which our mental health system may provide care to people in a timelier manner.

With the emergence of I-CBT (which is not new, just new to many of us), we have additional options (for treating OCD). This does not mean we are throwing away other effective treatments like ERP and ACT. In fact, we are doing the opposite!  We have more tools  to provide clients to make sure they have the highest chance for success.

It was one year ago in the month of July that Aaron Beck, MD, the founder of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) passed away. I write this blog post as a memorial to one of the great minds of our times and to acknowledge the tremendous impact Dr.Beck had on the field of psychotherapy.

Studies have shown a correlation with the development of PTSD and avoidance behaviors. In other words, the more one tries not to think about a traumatic event, resists revisiting a traumatic place, and avoids contact with any potential triggers of the traumatic event, the more likely one is to develop PTSD.

Communities of color often have cultures that are rooted in the importance of community and family. Therefore, people of color are used to taking care of others and can find it difficult to prioritize self-care. However, self-care can be a powerful mental health tool for fostering mental well-being.