Support Our Work

Please donate so we can continue our work to reduce the stigma of psychiatric illness, encourage research, and support educational activities for behavioral health professionals and the public. Ways you can donate and help are on our Support and Donations page. Thank you!

More Info

Latest News Around the Web

Daily Nicotine Vaping Doubled Among US Teenagers Since 2020, Study Finds

HealthDay (11/6, Thompson) reports a study found that “daily nicotine vaping nearly doubled between 2020 and 2024 among U.S. middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes.” According to the study, “the share of teen vapers who puff every day rose from 15% to nearly 29%.” Furthermore, “teens who vape daily also found it harder to quit their habit, researchers said. The percentage of daily vapers who unsuccessfully tried to quit rose from 28% to 53% during the same period.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Teen Nicotine Vaping Trends Show Powerful Evidence Of Addiction,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay , November 6, 2025

Study Finds SAMHSA-Funded Stepped-Care Interventions Helped Youth, Young Adults At High Risk Of Psychosis

Psychiatric News (11/6) reports a study found that SAMHSA grants to “fund stepped-care intervention programs for youth and young adults at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P)” have “made a difference in young people’s lives: Individuals who participated in these comprehensive prevention and treatment programs experienced improvements across a range of behavioral, social, and medical outcomes.” Researchers observed, “Clients participating in these programs showed improved life functioning and social connectedness; decreased psychological distress; and low rates of hospitalization [and] emergency department visits.” They noted that “only 4% of participants overall experienced first-episode psychosis while enrolled in the program. By comparison, population-level studies have found that about 15% of youth at high risk of psychosis will experience a first episode within one year.” The study was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “SAMHSA-Funded Stepped Care Interventions Benefit Youth at High Risk of Psychosis, Psychiatric News , November 6, 2025

Heavy Drinking Tied To Earlier And More Severe Brain Bleeds, Study Finds

The New York Times (11/5, Bajaj) reports, “Heavy drinking is tied to earlier and more severe brain bleeds,” according to a study published Wednesday in Neurology. Study researchers found “so-called heavy drinkers – people who had three or more drinks per day – developed a stroke on average 11 years earlier than those who had fewer than three drinks per day.” In addition, they “had larger brain bleeds that were more difficult to manage.”

Related Links:

— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Pediatric Patients With Precocious Puberty More Likely To Develop Psychiatric Disorders, Study Finds

Endocrinology Advisor (11/5, Neale) reports a study found that “children with precocious puberty are much more likely to develop psychiatric disorders than those with standard puberty timing.” Researchers found that “in Cox proportional hazard regression models, precocious puberty vs control was associated with significantly higher risks” for: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; anxiety; autism spectrum disorder; depression; eating disorders; and schizophrenia. In addition, “addiction, bipolar disorder, and suicide were not significantly more likely to occur among patients with precocious puberty, although the point estimates trended in that direction. The results were similar for boys and girls, but with stronger relationships among boys.” The study was published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Related Links:

— “Precocious Puberty Tied to Higher Risk for Psychiatric Disorders,”Todd Neale, Endocrinology Advisor, November 5, 2025

Adolescent Girls With Greater Initial Post-Concussion Symptoms More Likely To Report Persisting Concussion Symptoms, Study Finds

Neurology Advisor (11/4, Rao) reports a study found that “adolescent girls who report greater emotional symptoms following concussion are more likely to experience persisting concussion symptoms.” The study included “included 732 adolescent girls. Most injuries (69.9%) were sport-related, and 37.5% required an emergency department visit. At 3 months, 44% of participants reported persisting symptoms.” Researchers observed that “clinical measures, including SCAT5 total and emotional cluster scores, GAD-7, PHQ-8, and PSQI, were significantly higher among those with persisting symptoms at both time points. The most common ongoing symptoms were difficulty concentrating (63.7%), difficulty remembering (56.6%), trouble falling asleep (52.3%), irritability (52.0%), and pressure in the head (45.2%).” In addition, “machine-learning and logistic-regression models both effectively predicted persisting symptoms.” The study was published in Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.

Related Links:

— “Predictors of Persisting Concussion Symptoms Identified Among Adolescent Girls,”Meghna Rao, Neurology Advisor, November 4, 2025

Foundation News

John Lion, M.D. Wins 2017 Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award

The Board of Directors of the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry voted in February to present its 2017 Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award to Dr. John Lion for his piece, “Steadfast talking is the only cure for suicide” published December 18, 2016 in the Baltimore Sun. The board felt it reassured readers that even serious mental illness like depression can be overcome, even if there are setbacks along the way that evoke suicidal thoughts.

The award was established to recognize the article that best fulfills the following goals:

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.

The award carries a $500 prize which the foundation plans to award at the April 27 Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting. The 2016 winner was Amy Marlow, whose article “My dad killed himself when I was 13. He hid his depression. I won’t hide mine.” was published February 9, 2016 in the Washington Post.

Amazon Smile Celebrates With Extra Donations For Organizations

Amazon celebrated its #1 ranking in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) On March 16th, 2017. The ACSI surveyed over 10,000 customers to measure perceptions of quality and value across retailers nationwide. March 16th only, Amazon donated 5% (10 times the usual donation rate) of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the Maryland Foundation For Psychiatry Inc.

While the amount is lower now, you can still make your purchases count at smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1701356.

New PSA Examines Anxiety from Political and Social Media

The Foundation has released a new Public Service Announcement now playing on local Maryland radio stations. It examines the wide variety of feelings people experience after a particularly divisive political campaign or a significant event getting 24 hour coverage across networks and online. Those feelings can include alienation from family and friends, anger at a system or event out of their control, and grief or helplessness at what may come. There are things that can be done to help, ranging from breaks from Facebook and Twitter and similar sites to seeking actual help from professionals.

Listen to the PSA on our home page or on our PSA collection here, where you can listen to or download other advice given in past PSAs, also.

“This is My Brave” Event Coming December 7

1478645916439

This is my Brave – Baltimore event will be held Wednesday, December 7.
Doors Open at 5 PM – Show starts at 6 PM at Towson University’s West Village Commons, Towson, MD 21252. The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry is supporting this inspiring, monologue-based production featuring people sharing their stories of living with and recovering from mental illness through original essay, poetry, dance and music.

Foundation Establishes Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry has established the Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award. It is designed to recognize 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.

The award carries a $500 prize, and has its own dedicated page here.

The winner for 2016 is Amy McDowell Marlow.

“My dad killed himself when I was 13. He hid his depression. I won’t hide mine.”
Published February 9, 2016 in the Washington Post

In this piece, Ms. Marlow gives a very poignant description of dealing with her own depression and emotional experiences beginning in childhood while dealing with a parent’s depression and eventual suicide.