Federal News & Issues

School Peer-to-Peer Awareness Program Addressing Adolescent Depression

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A high school peer-to-peer program to develop depression awareness campaigns can lead to improved knowledge and attitudes toward depression, greater likelihood to seek help if needed and reduced stigma, according to a new study published online today in Psychiatric Services in Advance.

An estimated 7.5 percent of adolescents experience depression in a given year and depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Depression often first develops in the teen years and is associated with problems functioning, recurrent depression later in adulthood, other mental disorders, alcohol involvement and poor academic performance.

Researchers led by Sagar V. Parikh, M.D., with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, looked at the effectiveness of the Peer-to-Peer Depression Awareness...

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Author: mbourdase - Published: Mar 1, 2018

APA Calls for Open Dialogue on Mental Illness

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Recent disparaging and inaccurate remarks about mental illness serve only to perpetuate stigma and prohibit honest and open dialogue about an illness (or disorder) that affects one in five people in the nation. Now is the time for us to come together and look for a bipartisan solution that ensures early intervention and access to mental health and substance use treatment rather than taking steps backward. With the scientific advances in prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery today, we should be moving forward in caring for people with mental illness and substance abuse. Despite increased public awareness about mental health issues, accessing treatment remains a challenging task due to multiple factors, such as fragmented delivery and reimbursement systems, regulatory barriers, and...

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Author: mbourdase - Published: Feb 23, 2018

America's Frontline Physicians Call on Government to Act on the Public Health Epidemic of Gun Violence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On February 14, 17 children and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, lost their lives at the hands of an individual with an assault weapon. Thousands of children across the country went to school that morning, but some never returned home that afternoon. This senseless loss of life has become all too common in our country, ending lives, shattering families and disrupting the fabric of another community forever branded by this act of violence.

Our organizations include 450,000 physicians and medical student members. Gun violence is a public health epidemic that is growing in frequency and lethality, and it is taking a toll on our patients. We urge our national leaders to recognize in this moment what the medical community has long understood: we must treat this...

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Author: mbourdase - Published: Feb 16, 2018

APA Elects Dr. Bruce Schwartz as President-Elect

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) have chosen Bruce J. Schwartz, M.D., as its next president-elect. The results were released today but are not official until the APA Board of Directors confirms the election at its March meeting.

Schwartz is the Deputy Chairman and a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He has served numerous leadership roles at APA, including currently as the Treasurer of the APA and chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Investment Oversight Committee, Finance and Budget Committee and Board of the APA Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of NYC and was the Editor-in...

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Author: mbourdase - Published: Feb 9, 2018

APA Applauds Bipartisan Budget Agreement Bill That Includes Much-needed Funding for Opioid Crisis, NIH and Children’s Health Insurance Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Psychiatric Association (APA) applauds today’s early morning passage of bipartisan budget legislation that will secure federal funding for two years. In response, the APA is issuing this statement from its CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A.:

“We are pleased that today’s budget deal included $6 billion to fight opioid abuse, one of the most critical public health issues facing our nation today. The opioid crisis has taken a heavy toll on millions of families in American. We applaud Congress for approaching these issues in a bipartisan way. Our members stand ready to provide our expertise in treating this epidemic.

“In addition to funding for the opioid crisis, the APA is pleased that this bill extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) another four...

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Author: mbourdase - Published: Feb 9, 2018

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