Depression

blog

Veteran Journeys: Where Mental Health Research Meets Opera

Kenneth Wells, a psychiatrist, librettist, and composer, has written a documentary disguised as an opera. He drew on Partners in Care, a 10-year RAND-UCLA study that was one of the first to use a multisite collaborative primary care approach to treat veterans and others experiencing depression.

commentary

What Works in Preventing the Development of Depression and Anxiety in Children

Mental health problems have been increasingly recognized as one of the most significant health concerns for children and adolescents in developed countries. But the quality of existing evaluations can make drawing conclusions about what works in preventing the development of anxiety and/or depression in children difficult.

Michaela Bruckmayer

essay

Childhood Trauma Is More Common Than You Think. This School-Based Intervention Can Help

A program developed at RAND helps children exposed to trauma confront and subdue their stress and anxiety. The program grew out of the 1990s street violence of South Los Angeles and has since helped kids from Newtown to Fukushima. Researchers are tailoring this intervention for children in Puerto Rico whose lives were upended by hurricanes.

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Why the Mental Ill Health of Academic Researchers Remains a Hidden Problem

The mental health and well-being of higher education staff is a significant challenge, probably even more so than the evidence indicates.

Susan Guthrie, Catherine A. Lichten

commentary

Raising Awareness of the Need for Collaborative Care to Treat PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects nearly 8 percent of American adults from all walks of life. Research suggests that more work is needed to improve and adapt models of care for PTSD.

Lisa S. Meredith

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Is Suicide Preventable? Insights from Research

Conventional wisdom about suicide prevention suggests that one just needs to know what warning signs to look for. But that's not the case.

essay

Improving HIV and Mental Health Care in Uganda

A small team of RAND researchers has spent years working with local clinics in Uganda to help people not just survive HIV, but learn to live with it, and even thrive.

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Thinking Outside the Box to Find Solutions to Mental Health Problems

Many innovative ways to deliver mental health services in the UK aim to benefit individuals, industry, government, and the economy.

Christian Van Stolk, Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman

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Invisible Wounds: Closing the Gaps to More Effectively Address These Injuries

Too few of the veterans who experience mental health issues get the help they need. Even fewer get the right care. Closing these gaps will require raising awareness about the barriers to care, and changing how the mental health care system is organized and delivers services.

Terri Tanielian

commentary

New Depression-Screening Guidelines Could Help Both Mother and Child

Behavioral health professionals and community agencies often do not consider the impact of parental depression on young children or focus on the adult's role as a parent. New guidelines recommending depression screening during primary care visits for pregnant women and new mothers are a critical first step.

Dana Schultz

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A Frontline Civilian's Invisible Wounds of War

For frontline civilians, daily life built around war often involves waking up on a remote base and working side by side with soldiers in hazardous places. They often don't get the care and support that they need, whether in an area of crisis and instability, or when they return home.

S. Rebecca Zimmerman

announcement

Community Partners in Care Receives Accolade

Community Partners in Care, a partnership that uses a unique approach to improve depression care in under-resourced communities, has received the 2015 Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Award.

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Social Media as a Tool for Reaching Veterans in Need of Mental Health Care

Reaching veterans to learn more about their mental health care seeking poses a conundrum. They are typically recruited for studies in clinical settings, so those who are not seeking care are not represented. Facebook may be a viable method to reach them.

Eric R. Pedersen @ericrpedersen

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Mental Health Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

Depression is the leading cause of disability throughout the world and is especially prevalent among low-income African countries, where 75 percent of the people who suffer from mental illness do not have easy access to the mental health care they need.

Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

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Military Turns to Collaborative Care to Treat PTSD, Depression

Collaborative care has been an important part of Army efforts to reach out to those struggling with PTSD and depression. It has brought a science-based solution to an essential military problem and has helped thousands of men and women in uniform in ways that also nudge the larger mental health system toward greater effectiveness for all Americans.

Charles C. Engel

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Improving Physical Health Care for Adults with Serious Mental Illness

A promising strategy for helping adults with serious mental illness gain access to appropriate primary and preventive medical services is to integrate those services into a setting in which the population already receives care.

Deborah M. Scharf

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Out of the Shadows, Into the Light: Why Americans Should Care About the Health of Contractors Deploying to Conflict Environments

In contrast to the numerous mental health resources available to members of the U.S. military, very few (if any) resources are available to help private contractors struggling with mental health problems. It is in the best interest of all involved to ensure that contractors receive the support and treatment they need.

Molly Dunigan, Carrie M. Farmer @carriefarmer

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A Warm Bed on a Cold Morning: When Waking Up Is Hard to Do

As seductive as a warm bed may be on a cold morning, staying in bed too long can lead to disrupted sleep and a sleep-sapping case of the winter blues. These are the times when we need to resist the urge to hibernate and force ourselves to get going.

Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel

commentary

Using the Power of Communities to Beat Depression

Under-resourced communities of color have limited access to programs that could improve recognition and treatment of depression. RAND and UCLA investigators applied an engagement model to determine how to better serve these communities.

Kenneth B. Wells, Loretta Jones

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Under Pressure: How Europe Manages Psychosocial Risks in the Workplace

During an economic downturn, employers are unlikely to put the mental health of their workers at the top of the agenda. But it is precisely in these circumstances that employers cannot afford to ignore the mental well-being of employees.

Christian Van Stolk

blog

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Significant Public Health Problem

In recognition of National Mental Health Month, May 2012, we spotlight posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and RAND's work to advance understanding and treatment of this condition, which affects many more people than is commonly thought.

David M. Adamson

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Bridging the Gaps in Treating Veterans with Post-Deployment Mental Health Problems

Delivery of evidence-based care to all veterans with PTSD or depression would pay for itself—or even save money—within two years by improving productivity and reducing medical and mortality costs, writes Terri Tanielian.

Terri Tanielian