Archive for the ‘Website Exclusive’ Category

The Future of Mental Health Is on the Line—We Must Protect It

Federal restructuring risks erasing decades of progress. Together, we can demand better for our communities. Each May, we pause to raise awareness about mental health, which also serves as a time to engage in conversations about emotional well-being, reducing stigma, and promoting equitable...

A National Call to Action: Protecting Medicaid for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness and Autism

Take Note: Members of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce are drafting a budget which is highly likely to propose severe cuts to Medicaid. Whatever form those cuts take, they are likely to disproportionately harm people with disabilities, including people living with serious mental illness...

“The Son Belongs to His Mother”: South Asian Daughters-in-Law and the Mental Health Toll of Family Hierarchy

In many South Asian families, a daughter-in-law doesn’t simply marry a husband—she marries into a hierarchy. Her entry into the household often marks a shift in family dynamics, especially where a deep, enmeshed mother-son bond is already in place. What may appear on the surface as generational...

NAMI-NYC Board of Directors Announces New CEO Maggie G. Mortali, MPH

NAMI-NYC's Board of Directors is proud to announce that Maggie G. Mortali, MPH, has been appointed as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. A nationally recognized leader in public health and mental health advocacy, Maggie brings more than a decade of experience in suicide prevention,...

AI Screening for Opioid Use Disorder Associated With Fewer Hospital Readmissions

NIH-supported clinical trial shows AI tools are as effective as healthcare providers in generating referrals to addiction specialists. An artificial intelligence (AI)-driven screening tool, developed by a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research team, successfully identified...

Maintaining Work-Life Balance as a Therapist

Behavioral health professionals often juggle the weight of their client’s emotional needs alongside their own struggles. This burden can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and declining well-being. Therapists are not immune to personal challenges; balancing work with life’s demands is a...

The Cost of Silence: How Ignoring Mental Illness in South Asian Families Leads to Physical Health Issues

Mental health remains a stigmatized issue in many South Asian families, where cultural expectations and generational beliefs discourage conversations about psychological well-being. Instead of seeking help, individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are often...

How Employer-Provider Partnerships Can Transform Treatment-Resistant Mental Health Care

After three decades treating complex psychiatric conditions across diverse clinical settings, I’ve observed how inadequately addressed mental health disorders can devastate lives. And what has become increasingly clear through my work with patients suffering from chronic and even...

Spirituality Versus Psychiatry: Why Many South Asians Turn to Religion Before Therapy or Psychiatric Medication

Mental health in South Asian communities is a subject influenced by a combination of cultural, social, and religious factors. Many South Asians, particularly those in Western countries, have a unique relationship with mental health care that often leads them to prioritize spiritual or religious...

Mental Health and Matchmaking: How Stigma Affects South Asian Marriage Prospects

Marriage is a monumental decision in South Asian culture, with families playing an active role in selecting partners. The matchmaking process, through family networks, matrimonial websites, or professional matchmakers, tends to prioritize factors such as education, career, caste, and family...