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Anxiety From Political News and Social MediaAnxiety From Political News and Social Media, MP3, 2.4MB
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Latest News Around the Web
FCC Takes Steps To Adopt Rule Requiring 988 Calls Are Routed Based On Caller’s Location Rather Than Area Code
CNN (3/21, Cheng) reports, “The US Federal Communications Commission has taken the first step toward adopting a rule that would require telecommunications companies to route calls to the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline based on the caller’s physical location rather than their phone number’s area code.”
The agency’s chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, “said she has submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking to the full commission and expects the rule to pass a vote in the next several weeks, given bipartisan support for the change.” She said, “When people reach out to 988 for help, they should have confidence that the support they receive is local.”
Related Links:
— “988 mental health crisis calls may soon be routed based on location rather than area code,” Mira Cheng, CNN, March 21, 2024
Executive order aims to strengthen women’s health research
Bloomberg Law (3/18, Díaz , Subscription Publication) reports, “President Joe Biden signed an executive order to strengthen women’s health research standards across federal agencies and prioritize its funding, part of a broader effort to close the gap on long-standing disparities.” Biden “called it the ‘most comprehensive executive actions ever taken to improve women’s health’ at a White House event on Monday, and said it highlighted the administration’s efforts to bolster economic gains for women.”
NBC News (3/18, Kenny ) reports Biden “announced more than 20 new actions and commitments by federal agencies, including $200 million for research at the National Institutes of Health.” The Administration “described the investments as a first step toward a ‘Fund on Women’s Health’ that Biden called on Congress to invest in during his State of the Union address this month.”
Related Links:
— “Biden signs executive order to boost women’s health research,” Summer Concepcion, Fiona Glisson and Caroline Kenny, NBC News, March 18, 2024
Middle-Aged Adults In US Report Greater Levels Of Loneliness Than Their European Counterparts, Researchers Find
HCP Live (3/18, Derman) reports, “Middle-aged adults in the US report significantly greater levels of loneliness than their European counterparts, and this is suggested to be because of weaker family ties and greater income inequality, a recent study” found. When “broken down to age groups, baby boomers in the US reported greater levels of loneliness than England, Continental Europe, Mediterranean Europe, and Nordic Europe.”
With regard to “Generation X, adults in the US reported greater levels of loneliness in all the same nations as baby boomers did except in England, which had an insignificant difference.” The findings were published in American Psychologist.
Related Links:
— “US Middle-Aged Adults Report Loneliness More Than European Adults: Why Is This?,” Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, March 18, 2024
Heart-Healthy Diets Appear To Slow Biological Aging, Helping To Protect The Brain, Study Finds
HealthDay (3/15, Mundell ) reported that “heart-healthy…diets appear to slow biological aging, helping to protect the brain.” Investigators “found that folks who most closely adhered to what is called the Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet had slower aging, as measured by DunedinPACE, as well as lowered odds for dementia and early death.”
The researchers determined that “overall…about 27% of the association between a healthy diet and lowered dementia risk is probably due to slowed aging.” The research was published in the Annals of Neurology.
Related Links:
— “Eating Healthy Slows ‘Aging Clock,’ Helping to Shield Your Brain From Dementia,” Ernie Mundell
, HealthDay, March 15, 2024
Signs Of Depression Often Go Unnoticed In Boys, Experts Say
NBC News (3/17, Edwards ) reports, “Teenage boys are drowning in just as much of the depression and anxiety that’s been well documented in girls,” and “experts warn that many young men struggling with their mental health are left undetected and without the help they need.” NBC News adds, “Depression in boys may go unnoticed…experts said, because boys usually don’t show it through signs of melancholy typically found in girls.”
Related Links:
— “‘Boys are disappearing’ from mental health care as signs of depression go undetected,” , NBC News, March 17, 2024
Foundation News
Deepak Prabhakar, M.D. to Receive MFP Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award
Deepak Prabhakar, M.D. will be awarded the 2022 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for his Op-Ed column, “Biles is leading a new generation of athletes who prioritize mental health,” which was published in the August 2, 2021 print issue of The Baltimore Sun. The MFP board of directors felt that it very effectively expressed important ideas such as that the best athletes with “steely” inner strength can nevertheless be vulnerable to mental ill-ness, that people should not feel ashamed to seek treatment when needed, and that everybody should routinely check on friends and family to make sure they are okay, and encourage them to seek professional help when needed.
The Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award carries a $500 prize and will be formally presented at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting on April 28.
The Foundation established this annual prize for a worthy media piece, preferably local or regional, that accomplishes one or more of the following:
- Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family member, or simply in the community.
- Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental illness.
- Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.
Click here for information about past winners.
New Foundation PSA Examines Possible Silver Lining of the Pandemic
They say every dark cloud has a silver lining. Though the COVID pandemic has had many devastating impacts, there have been some positive consequences for mental health care.This PSA looks at the growth of TeleHealth to make and attend appointments online from the comfort of their own rooms. Unprecedented government funding for mental health was also mobilized. Listen to hear more developments.
Positive Consequences From the Pandemic For Mental Health CarePositive Consequences From the Pandemic For Mental Health Care, MP3, 1.2MB
You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.
Latest PSA From Foundation Examines Rise in Suicide Among Black People
The COVID pandemic has highlighted racial disparities in health and healthcare. Suicide has mistakenly been seen as a problem primarily for white people, but now upward trends have been seen among black people, particular black adolescent girls. This new PSA from the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. examines the reasons for this and calls for further research.
Racial Disparities Seen in Suicide StudiesRacial Disparities Seen in Suicide Studies, MP3, 1.4MB
You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.
Seeking Nominations for 2022 Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award
The annual Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award recognizes a worthy piece published in a major newspaper that accomplishes one or more of the following:
- Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family member, or simply in the community.
- Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental illness.
- Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.
A Maryland author and/or newspaper is preferred. Click here for past winners and published articles.
The award carries a $500 prize, which is given at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting in April. To nominate a piece to be considered for the 2022 award, email it to mfp@mdpsych.org no later than January 10, 2022. The article should be published during the period from January 15, 2021 to January 10, 2022.
New PSA Examines Anxiety as Pandemic Improves
As the pandemic improves and restrictions and shutdowns are lifted, many people may be experiencing anxiety at returning to the world and being amongst people. This new PSA from the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. examines fears people may have as they try to navigate uncertainty about going outside as well as deal with conflicting messages about how to stay safe and healthy.
Post-Pandemic AnxietyPost Pandemic Anxiety, MP3, 1.3MB
You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.