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Drinking Coffee Is Actually Good for You

July 29, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Sixty-four percent of Americans drink coffee, adding up to 400 million cups daily. That’s a lot of coffee!

Researchers have long debated the health effects of one of America’s favorite drinks. In 1991, coffee was listed as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Research has demonstrated that coffee increases blood pressure and heart rate, but less is known about its impact on cardiovascular health. Coffee is not recommended for pregnant women because it’s unknown how it affects unborn babies. [Read more…]

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What We Know About Trans Youth and Bullying

June 25, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Transgender youth, kids whose gender identity does not match their assigned sex, experience bullying and violence in schools at much higher rates compared to cisgender youth, whose gender identity does match their assigned sex.

In fact, evidence shows that trans youth are more likely to experience what researchers call poly-victimization — multiple forms of abuse or discrimination simultaneously — compared to cis youth. This type of abuse is associated with serious mental and emotional problems including lower self-esteem, anxiety, depression, suicide, poor school performance and more. [Read more…]

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Why Eating Disorders Surged Through COVID-19

May 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Over the past decade, the prevalence of eating disorders – especially among adolescents and young adults – has been a growing problem. A review of studies found that eating disorders among young people across the globe more than doubled from 2000 to 2018. Since then, COVID-19 has created new challenges for people with eating disorders and those who treat them.

Although there isn’t a broad study yet that quantifies the impact of the pandemic, there are plenty of clues that COVID-19 has increased the prevalence of eating disorders. The National Eating Disorders Association helpline reports a 40 percent increase in calls since March 2020. [Read more…]

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How the Pandemic Has Affected Our Mental and Physical Health

April 14, 2021 By Leave a Comment

We’re more than one year into the global pandemic that has kept many Americans sequestered in their homes and taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when they go out. Not surprisingly, these changes in how and when we interact with others has led to changes in our mental and physical health. Among those changes, emerging data show that many Americans have gained weight, are drinking more alcohol and are not sleeping well. [Read more…]

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The Behavioral Affects of Marijuana Use

April 9, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Weed, pot, grass: Whatever you want to call it, marijuana is steadily becoming legal in more U.S. states. The recreational use of cannabis is legal in 14 states and has been decriminalized – meaning it carries a very small penalty – in 16 others. In addition, 36 states allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons with a doctor’s prescription. [Read more…]

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Why Are the Incarcerated More Likely to Commit Suicide?

March 3, 2021 By Leave a Comment

There are approximately 655 people incarcerated for every 100,000 Americans – the highest rate by far out of all developed countries. In total, that adds up to more than 2 million Americans currently in U.S. prisons and jails. About one quarter of these imprisoned people have not be convicted or sentenced; they are incarcerated because they cannot afford to pay bail. [Read more…]

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A Pet Could Boost Your Mental Health

March 1, 2021 By Leave a Comment

If you don’t have a pet, you may think about what caring for an animal entails: feeding, training, cleaning up after and paying veterinary bills. But most pet owners understand that pets provide them with benefits as well.
[Read more…]

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How Gut Bacteria Are Linked to Mental Health

February 25, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Scientists have been studying how the human body functions for millennia, yet there are still countless workings that we still do not fully understand. Just in the past decade, health researchers have discovered an interesting connection — one that affects tens of millions of Americans. It turns out the bacteria that naturally occur in everyone’s digestive tract play an important role in our mental health. [Read more…]

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How To Mend A Family Rift

January 18, 2021 By 1 Comment

We often think of family bonds as unbreakable, no matter the circumstances. But, in fact, most American families experience an estrangement that leads to anger, sadness and heartache.

A new book – Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them — by Cornell sociologist Karl Pillemer takes a deep dive into why family rifts occur and how to heal them. [Read more…]

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The Mental Health Costs of Caring for COVID-19 Patients

January 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment

More than 125,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 – more than at any other point during the pandemic. Most of these patients are seriously ill, with low oxygen levels and potential organ failure. Most need constant monitoring and many need a ventilator because they are not able to breathe. [Read more…]

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Gratitude Isn’t Cancelled This Thanksgiving

November 23, 2020 By Leave a Comment

Like many events this year, Thanksgiving will be a starkly different holiday for most people. Rising cases of COVID-19 mean that many will forgo gathering with family and friends, instead staying home during what used to be America’s biggest travel holiday.

While big dinner parties may not be possible, there is one element of Thanksgiving that can stay despite the global pandemic: the notion of giving thanks. [Read more…]

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How to Cope With the Winter Blues and COVID-19

November 16, 2020 By Leave a Comment

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…]

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