Personal struggles with their mental health helped bring two Penn State World Campus students closer together, and their college education is opening doors they never thought possible.
Since 1949, Mental Health America has dedicated May as Mental Health Month. Two master of health administration students, Carly Frisby and Holly Frick are working to help break the stigma around mental health with the Quell Foundation.
With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Penn State researcher and assistant professor Britney Wardecker stresses the importance of not only raising general awareness of mental health but also recognizing how different groups are affected by mental health issues in unique ways.
Dixin Xie, an undergraduate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, is conducting a research project on food insecurity and mental health outcomes, thanks to faculty mentorship from the department and support from the College of Health and Human Development.
Caregiver jobs often come loaded with pressures. In fact, caregivers face a higher risk of developing a mental health disorder because of the stress that can accompany taking care of others.
People with cancer are more than four times more likely to commit suicide than people without cancer, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
Penn State Beaver psychology professor Kevin Bennett has gathered disparate data and research to create a comprehensive map of psychological issues in the United States. Among his findings: neuroticism is higher in the Northeast and the West Coast is more open to experimentation.
“If you’re struggling, seeking help is absolutely a sign of strength, not weakness,” said Ben Locke, director of Counseling and Psychological Services. “And if you see something, do something. If you think a friend or peer is struggling in some way, check in, ask them how they are, or reach out for a consultation with a trusted source, like CAPS.”
Thursday, Oct. 11, is National Depression Screening Day, and Penn State Abington Counseling and Psychological Services will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Cloverly Building.
Penn State Shenango will collaborate with the Community Counseling Center of Mercer County to host two “Stamp Out Stigma” events Oct. 17 featuring Jamie Marich, founder of the Institute for Creative Mindfulness.
The latest episode in the “Ask the Experts” series features Thomas Hess, senior vice president and chief financial officer at biotechnology company Genomind, who discusses a new approach to treatment and therapy of mental health conditions using genome testing.
Poor mental health may cost businesses nearly as much as physical health problems, according to researchers. A single extra poor mental health day in a month was associated with a 1.84 percent drop in the per capita real income growth rate, resulting in $53 billion less total income each year.
Family medicine doctors and pediatricians are less confident than psychiatrists in their abilities to tell the difference between normal irritability and possibly bigger issues in children and adolescents, according to Penn State researchers. Primary care providers and pediatricians were also more likely to prescribe medications when they thought there was a problem, while psychiatrists were more likely to start with behavioral therapy.
From facing your fears to tracking your mood, the first steps toward understanding and managing your own wellness are now more readily available to students than ever before.
Abington faculty Frances Veale's research focuses on interventions to support African-American male offenders.
