Feeling Stressed? Ways to Improve Your Well-Being
Have you been feeling more stressed than usual? Many people are during these challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic has many people feeling overwhelmed. Read more ›
Anxiety & Depression
How One Teen Handles Anxiety Disorder Through the Pandemic
NPR host Sarah McCammon interviews Mira, a Michigan teen with generalized anxiety disorder, who shares her struggles and coping strategies in this 4-minute podcast. Read more ›
How to Navigate the ‘Chaotic’ World of Mental Health Apps
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, mobile mental health apps have experienced a “surge in growth,” responding to an increased need for support as many have been impacted by the psychological toll of 2020, said Adam Haim, chief of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Treatment and Preventive Intervention Research Branch. Read more ›
The Emotional Toll of Racism [downloadable]
Black students continuously experience, fight against and bear emotional scars from racism, which can lead to increased anxiety and poor mental health outcomes. Some colleges are just starting to address these issues. Read more ›
Digital Self Harm: Is It on the Rise?
In an online forum, a message appears.
It contains a threat against a student from an anonymous source. The person spotting it reports it to a school official, the website or police. After a short investigation, the findings are disturbing. The perpetrator who posted it is actually the student engaging in an act of digital self-harm … or cyberbullying themselves. Read more ›
How To Help Someone At Risk Of Suicide
If you know someone struggling with despair, depression or thoughts of suicide, you may be wondering how to help. You don’t have to be a trained professional to help, says Doreen Marshall, a psychologist and vice president of programs at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Read more ›
For Many, Eating Disorders Are Made Worse by the Pandemic
When the novel coronavirus began spreading nationwide, prompting restrictive lockdowns and fueling pervasive feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression and stress, it didn’t take long for Marita Cooper and other experts who specialize in eating disorders to see the pandemic’s effects on their patients.
Beyond the broad mental health impacts linked to the sudden disruption of lives and widespread isolation, coronavirus-related restrictions created specific factors that could put people with eating disorders at increased risk, said Cooper, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Read more ›
How Parents Can Help Kids Who Are Scared and Anxious During the Pandemic
For the kids in our lives, the last nine months have been many things. Scary — because an invisible, unknown illness was suddenly spreading across the globe. Maybe even fun, when the possibility of school closing felt like a snow day. But for many, that novelty has given way to frustration and sadness — even depression and anxiety. Just like adults, kids are wondering: Will I get sick? Will someone I love die?
It’s a lot for kids and parents to handle. KQED talked to the experts and came away with five tips for how you can help your kids through this. Read more ›
School ‘Wellness Centers’ Could Be an Answer to Soaring Mental Health Needs in California
Responding to a surge in student anxiety and depression — exacerbated by the pandemic — a state commission has called for California schools to move quickly to become “wellness centers” addressing mental and physical health needs among K-12 students and their families. Read more ›
ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria
Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is extreme emotional sensitivity and pain triggered by the perception that a person has been rejected or criticized by important people in their life. It may also be triggered by a sense of falling short—failing to meet their own high standards or others’ expectations. Read more ›
