Presidential Proclamation — World Suicide Prevention Day, 2015

“Suicide prevention is the responsibility of all people. One small act — the decision to reach out to your neighbor, offer support to a friend, or encourage a veteran in need to seek help — can make a difference. It can help energize a national conversation and a changing attitude across America. If you are[…]

Raising Awareness on World Suicide Prevention Day

“People across the globe will observe World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10 to raise awareness about and reach out to those affected by suicide. The theme for this year — Preventing Suicide: Reaching Out and Saving Lives — is meant to highlight the importance of support and the role it can play in combating suicide.[…]

Gun Violence In America

“While 30,000 people a year in the U.S. die from gun violence, two-thirds of those commit suicide. Of the remaining 10,000, a full 90% lose their lives in acts of violence from someone known to them. The number of people who are killed by strangers with guns is less than 1.5 percent a year.” –[…]

5 Mental Health Tips for Back to School

“I stared out of the window of the psychiatric ward in utter disbelief that my freshman year of college had ended, after only two months. I went to American University with so much hope. College was going to be the place where I moved forward with my life. A setting where I could meet new[…]

$30 Million Program to Help Low-Income New Yorkers Get Mental Health Care

“New York is set to begin a $30 million program aimed at providing mental health services to low-income residents with little or no access to care.  The program, Connections to Care, will tap existing community organizations that reach low-income residents but are not providing mental health services. Chirlane McCray, chairwoman of the Mayor’s Fund to[…]

Campus Suicide and the Pressure of Perfection

“America’s culture of hyperachievement among the affluent has been under scrutiny for at least the last decade, but recent suicide clusters, including the deaths of three high school students and one recent graduate in Palo Alto, Calif., have renewed the debate. “In the Name of College! What Are We Doing to Our Children?” blared a[…]

Brains of People with Recurrent Depression Have a Significantly Smaller Hippocampus

“Published in Molecular Psychiatry, the ENIGMA study is co-authored by University of Sydney scholars at the Brain and Mind Research Institute.  The research is the largest international study to compare brain volumes in people with and without major depression. It highlights the need to identify and treat depression effectively when it first occurs, particularly among[…]

Connecticut’s Murphy to Unveil Mental Health Bill

“In order to keep somebody healthy, you might have to treat their brain and the rest of their body together,” Murphy said in a phone interview. “That means that when you walk into a community health center, and you present with a behavioral health issue, you shouldn’t be sent offsite.”  Sen. Murphy is backed by[…]