How to Cope With the Winter Blues and COVID-19

In the northern hemisphere, darkness now falls before dinnertime. Most northern latitudes have less than ten hours of daylight in November – meaning most people spend the majority of their day light hours at work.

Evidence clearly establishes that darkness impacts the moods and mental health of millions of people. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a well-founded medical condition that affects about 5 percent of Americans; and another 15 percent experience a milder form of SAD, often referred to as the “winter blues.” [Read more…]

The Link Between Food Insecurity and Mental Health

Unemployment rates rose to more than 14 percent in April this year with more than 23 million Americans without work when the U.S. shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19. Since economic activity in the U.S. has resumed, millions have returned to their old jobs or found new ones. But there are still more than 11 million Americans unemployed – more than double than were unemployed in February before COVID-19 spread widely in the U.S. [Read more…]

How to Get Kids to Change Their Behavior for the Better

When trying to convince someone to take action, our words matter – even more so when talking to a young person.

If you have ever parented a child or worked with youth, you have likely witnessed that lectures rarely lead to whole-hearted behavior change, even when the lecturer has the best intentions. So, what’s the best way to encourage behavior change in young people, especially when there is a serious health problem at hand? [Read more…]

What Research Tells Us About Voter Fraud

Allegations of voter fraud date back over a century in the United States. You may have heard stories about a local community sending an absentee ballot to someone who is deceased, or a person trying to vote twice. As the 2020 election approaches, President Donald Trump – like many elected officials before him – is again calling into question the validity of voting in the U.S. [Read more…]

Natural Solutions Can Ease the Effects of Climate Change

The last decade was the hottest ever recorded since scientists from the  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began keeping records 140 years ago. On average, annual temperatures hovered 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit higher compared to the years from 1950 to 1980.

Although that increase might not sound like much, small shifts in the overall amount of heat stored in the oceans, air, and water can have significant effects on the planet, including rising sea levels, increased severe storm activity and droughts. [Read more…]

Do Online Searches For Health Information Lead to Anxiety?

We’ve all done it before. Presented with a new ache, pain or rash, we turn to the internet to find out what’s wrong. Typically, the search results include a myriad of health problems ranging in severity from “it will go away on its own” to “you only have months to live.” [Read more…]

What We Know About Homelessness and Intellectual Disability

There are more than a half million homeless people in the United States; more than half of them sleep unsheltered each night, while the other half use emergency shelters and transitional housing.

Research demonstrates that 30 to 40 percent of homeless people have a cognitive impairment, including traumatic brain injury, learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. [Read more…]

The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Affecting Your Memory

Research demonstrates our memories are not as accurate as we believe.

While most people think their memories represent the truth, the evidence demonstrates that our memories depend very much on the circumstances we are experiencing at the time and that they shift over time. A large body of research shows that emotions, especially those provoked by negative events, lead to inaccurate or even completely false memories. [Read more…]

Evidence-based Ways to Change Someone’s Mind

portrait of an african couple standingThe nation is gripped in a presidential election unlike any other in history, with deep divides down political lines, an economy in peril and an enduring global pandemic.

On top of that, political information and misinformation abounds online. Because anyone can post anything on the internet, many people in both political parties base their opinions and judgement on false information. [Read more…]

What Are The Mental Health Effects of COVID-19?

Woman wearing a maskAs the COVID-19 pandemic drags on globally, there is little doubt that it is taking a lasting toll on the mental health of millions of people. Fear of getting sick, the loneliness that accompanies quarantine and a fragile economy combine to create complicated challenges to mental well-being. [Read more…]

How to Offer Mental Health Interventions in School

An anxious teenager in study hallApproximately one in six youth ages six to seventeen in the U.S. have a mental illness; depression, anxiety and behavior disorders are among the most common. Data suggest that youth today are five times more likely to experience mental health problems compared to decades past. Today, the uncertainty that comes along with the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly detracting from students’ mental health and well-being. [Read more…]

The Silver Lining of Virtual Learning During COVID-19

insta_photos/Adobe Stock

Children are heading back to school this month in many states across the nation. In most school districts, this is the first time that kids have been inside school buildings since COVID-19 spread across the U.S. in March. [Read more…]

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