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Symptoms of depression increased in young, low-income Latino adults during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by the Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. In contrast, symptoms of anxiety decreased overall but rose when there was arguing in the home or other pandemic-related stressors.

The study analyzed data from 309 young adults, aged 18 to about 20 and predominantly of Mexican origin. Researchers compared the mental health of young adults before March 2020 with data collected in June 2021 to determine if their mental health worsened during the pandemic. Participants answered questions about economic, educational, and social stressors and were assessed for symptoms of anxiety and depression. The results revealed an increase in depressive symptoms in general, while exploratory analyses suggested women may be more vulnerable to pandemic stressors.

“There has been a lot of interest in how the pandemic affected the mental health of the US population,” said Julianna Deardorff, associate professor of maternal, child, and adolescent health at Berkeley Public Health. “However, few longitudinal studies have focused on young adults, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds, who were likely experiencing multiple stressors simultaneously.”

The majority of participants lived at home, with more than 95% at or below 200% of the poverty line. The findings corroborated earlier research that showed Latinx individuals, women, and low-income people have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Read more at PublicHealth.Berkeley.edu.

A new Hawaii report shows the number of suicides, completed and attempts, just keeps going up in the islands.

A local mental health advocate said a resident in Hawaii dies from suicide every two days.

Two hundred suicides were confirmed in 2022 and an additional 14 were undetermined. Three hundred hospitalizations took place for attempted suicides. More than 500 residents took a visit to the emergency room and almost 1,000 calls were to the Hawaii Poison hotline.

“If it’s not paradise for you, then we have to refocus and make sure we’re taking care of ourselves and pay attention to our mental health. Maybe we have that extra pressure that it’s supposed to be paradise here, which is a big myth,” said Kathleen Merriam, co-chair of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

According to the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 to 44 and it is the highest in youth and teenagers.

“There’s a whole other number of people that attempt suicide. That’s very serious and of course attempters are at risk for attempting again. Then there’s…another segment of our population that think about suicide,” said Merriam.

Read more at KITV.com.

There are a variety of gender inequalities in society today, and mental health is one of the biggest areas where gender inequality in health care is apparent.

In the U.S. there is a disparity between genders in terms of traits and characteristics that are more visible in one gender than the other, leading to more boys being referred for mental health treatment than girls. This is because boys tend to externalize what they are going through, while girls internalize more. Teachers are also less likely to refer someone to treatment if their academic performance isn’t suffering, which is also a trait more common in females, as they tend to perform better in school in comparison to males. For example, ADHD often goes undiagnosed in females because of the different ways it presents in females as opposed to males. Females tend to do more daydreaming, while males tend to be more active, hyper, and external with their symptoms.

Gender differences as they relate to mental health continue into adolescence. Males are socialized to see therapy and opening up about their feelings and emotions as a weakness, while women are encouraged to do so. In their teen years, girls are more likely to talk with a trusted friend about any struggles they are facing than boys are. This feeds into the stigma surrounding mental health that’s been slowly challenged over the years. It also leads to men being more resistant toward therapy and mental health services into adulthood.

When it comes to diagnosing mental health disorders and the overall prevalence rates, the most common mental health disorders, such as depression, are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed in females than in males, even when the two present with identical symptoms. Furthermore, women are more likely to be prescribed medications, while men are more likely to be diagnosed with substance use disorders. The same can be said of anxiety, which is another common mental health disorder more commonly diagnosed in women.

Socioeconomic status has also been linked to greater gender gaps in mental health treatment and diagnosis. Women account for 70% of the world’s lowest paid workers, and these gender roles and pay gap inequalities still exist in society today.

Read more at HealthNews.com.

During a conversation at the Asian American Cultural Center on March 9, psychologist Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang opened up about the stigmatization of mental health challenges in AAPI communities and the inspiration behind her 2022 book: “Permission to Come Home” — a resource aimed at helping Asian Americans reclaim their psychological narratives.

The event saw attendance from undergraduate and graduate students, Assistant Dean and AACC Director Joliana Yee and several staff members from Yale Mental Health and Counseling. Event moderator Melodie Grace Liu GRD ’27 kicked off the afternoon by reading a section of the book that explored compassion, an entity that Wang referred to as the “final” and perhaps most “elusive” condition in the “search for home.”

That search for belonging has cemented itself as the core of Wang’s own pursuit of psychology, which started with self-introspection and the comfort of being open with herself.

“I’m a firm believer that my ability to be present with the people who need me really depends on my ability to understand my struggle [and] my wounds first,” Wang said. “I use this analogy a lot — like if I have a gash in my arm, and then somebody says to me I have a cut in my leg, I’m gonna have a hard time paying attention to the fact that they have a cut in their life, because I’m also struggling. And so until I can get to a point where I feel strong enough to carry my struggle, I’m gonna have a really hard time holding somebody’s presence [and] holding that space for them.”

“Modeling the … early stages of grief and mental health… doesn’t always look like: let’s sit down, talk about all your traumas, all of [these things] that the elderly spent a lifetime trying to protect,” Wang said. “Maybe it’s not the talking, [but] the being with. Let me watch a drama, right, let me do something that helps my body feel safe and [that makes them] feel safe with me.”

Read more at YaleDailyNews.com.

As the United States reels from yet another mass school shooting, experts warn that young children are suffering from its devastating impacts.

A total of three children, all age nine — as well as three adults — were killed at the Covenant School in Nashville in what President Joe Biden referred to as “sick” and “heartbreaking.”

Children can respond in a wide range of ways including being numb to the event, being more angry or irritable, suffering from high anxiety and being fearful of going back to school, according to mental health experts.

“As a pediatrician, and as a father, I think it makes common sense that when kids are exposed to this sort of thing, that it would have potentially long-term consequences for them,” Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota hospital, told ABC News.

He continued, “And the research actually bears that out, that there are, in fact, significant behavioral and psychological impacts on children who either are victims of or witness to or even around events, such as this shooting in Nashville.”

Dr. Daniel Marullo, a clinical psychologist from Children’s of Alabama Hospital, told ABC News that many children develop resilience, or an ability to overcome serious hardships.

However, he says gun violence can impact a child’s mental health, especially if they are witness to such an event.

‘The impacts on them tend to fall into two categories,” Gorelick said. “Like older kids, they will often have symptoms of post-traumatic stress, that could be nightmares, sleep problems, avoiding certain locations, including avoiding school, because of the associated trauma.”

“Younger kids tend to have symptoms that reflect in things like withdrawal, depression, anxiety…in response to being a party to or witness to community violence, gun violence,” he added.

Read more at ABCNews.com.

As part of continuing efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to increase access to mental health and substance use resources, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched FindSupport.gov in May, a new user-friendly website designed for the general public to help people identify available resources; explore unbiased information about various treatment options; and learn how to reach out to get the support they need for issues related to mental health, drugs, or alcohol.

FindSupport.gov helps people navigate through common questions when they are at the start of their journey to better behavioral health, such as how to ask for help, how to help others and how to search for a health care professional or support program that meets their needs. The website provides information on how to find treatment and support based on insurance status, including Medicaid, Medicare, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care, TRICARE, private insurance, and no insurance. And FindSupport.gov features resources on how to set up an appointment so that when people meet with a health care professional, they can feel confident that they are taking the right steps.

The concept for FindSupport.gov was developed by HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to research showing that people were looking for an unbiased, trustworthy source of information on how to get support for mental health and substance use issues.

“Improving access to mental health and substance use services for the public remains central to SAMHSA’s mission and vision,” said SAMHSA Administrator Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D. “By launching this new web resource, we are improving the customer experience of government programs and services by making often confusing but important information easy to understand and act on for all Americans. At SAMHSA, we are thrilled to host this resource that will help people find the support they need.”

Read more at SAMHSA.gov.