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Suicide is NOT a Symptom
Too many have lost a loved one to suicide. Every 11 minutes, someone dies by suicide in the US, often without warning. Suicidality has historically been regarded as a symptom of major depression and mental illness in general. During my training, when someone was at risk of suicide, we were...
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Collaborative Care in Primary Care: Using Data to Prevent Suicide
Suicide remains one of the most pressing public health challenges in the United States. Over the past decade, suicide rates have risen alarmingly, leaving families and communities grappling with the devastating consequences of loss. Even more troubling is the evidence showing that nearly half of...
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Protecting Youth Mental Health: The Role of Families in Addressing Social Media’s Impact on Self-Harm and Suicide
Emma was a 14-year-old high school freshman, a creative and outgoing student with a passion for photography. She had no prior mental health concerns and was thriving academically and socially. When she received her first smartphone, social media quickly became a way for her to connect with friends...
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Addressing Suicide in Marginalized Communities: Unique Challenges and Culturally Responsive Approaches
Suicide continues to remain a global crisis, claiming over 700,000 lives annually (WHO, 2021). In the United States alone, more than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, marking it one of the leading causes of death in the nation (CDC, 2023). Behind these sobering statistics lies an...
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Back to School: Mental Health Tips and Resources to Help Youth Thrive in – and out of – the Classroom
As the dog days of summer draw to a sweltering close, many families across the nation are gathering books, binders, and other school supplies in preparation for a return to the classroom. And while the back-to-school season can be an exciting time, it can also be stressful – and even scary –...
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Caring for Older Adults With Depression
The population of older adults in the United States is growing at an unprecedented rate. From 2010-2020, the number of Americans aged 65 or older grew by 34%, with no signs of slowing down (United States Census Bureau, 2020). This large aging population presents several challenges for the...
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Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults
Social isolation and loneliness are health risks that affect a quarter of American adults 65 and older (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020). Social isolation is defined as the objective state of having few social relationships or infrequent social contact with others,...
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Innovative Delivery of Therapy for Older Adults with Depression
There are many changes that take place as we age, but many people assume that depression is a normal part of aging. Instead, depression is best thought of as a response to losses and changes associated with aging, and most importantly – it is treatable! In our work with community-dwelling older...
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Understanding Teenage Self-Harm: Strategies for Prevention and Support
“I needed to cut, the way your lungs scream for air when you swim the length of the pool underwater in one breath. It was a craving so organic it seemed to have risen from my skin itself” (Kettlewell, 2000). This striking yet genuine comment reflects how many teenagers feel when engaging in...
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Aging Vision: How Social Workers Can Help Address Vision Loss
What happens to someone who wakes up one morning and can no longer see? It could happen to any of us at any time – clinician or client. Stoic wisdom might suggest that one prepares for loss by imagining it has already happened and resolving to accept the change, to embrace life fully, whatever...
