An online guide about interventions in early childhood that can help prevent drug use and other unhealthy behaviors was launched today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The guide offers research-based principles that affect a child’s self-control and overall mental health, starting during pregnancy through the eighth year of life. It recognizes that […]
Archives for March 2016
Screening and Assessment of Co-occurring Disorders in the Justice System
This monograph examines a wide range of evidence-based practices for screening and assessment of people in the justice system who have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders (CODs). Use of evidence-based approaches for screening and assessment is likely to result in more accurate matching of offenders to treatment services and more effective treatment and supervision outcomes (Shaffer, 2011). This […]
Stress in America: The Impact of Discrimination
Nearly half of U.S. adults report they have experienced a major form of unfair treatment or discrimination, including being unfairly questioned or threatened by police, being fired or passed over for promotion or treated unfairly when receiving health care. These acts of discrimination are associated with higher reported stress levels and poorer reported health, according […]
Poverty and Child Health in the United States
Identifying poverty as one of the most widespread and persistent health risks facing children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued recommendations urging doctors to ask at all well-child visits whether families are able to make ends meet. The new policy statement in the April 2016 issue of Pediatrics, “Poverty and Child Health in […]
Depressive Symptoms Predict Major Depressive Disorder after 15 Years among Whites but Not Blacks
Depression can strike anyone, taking a toll on mental and physical health, friendships, work and studies. But figuring out who’s at risk for it is still a murky task. A new study suggests that standard ways of looking for depression risk may not work as well among blacks as they do among whites. But listening […]
A Snapshot of Behavioral Health Issues for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Boys and Men
As part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) efforts to promote behavioral health equity and to support President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” Initiative to address opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color, SAMHSA and the American Psychological Association co-sponsored the “Pathways to Behavioral Health Equity: Addressing Disparities Experienced by Men and Boys of Color” conference in March 2015. […]