Black History Month: Dr. James Comer on Co-Founding the Black Psychiatrists of America

• APA Leadership, Diverse populations

“I didn’t plan to become a psychiatrist,” said James P. Comer, M.D., M.P.H., the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center. “It was the only thing in medical school that I said I would never do – public health was the other – and I ended up doing both. As I worked, I began to see that the individuals were being impacted by history, by political economics and social conditions that they have little control over, and that impacted the ability of families to function, the ability to rear their children well, the ability to participate and feel belonging in society – and that was related to racism.

How to Reduce Loneliness

• Healthy living for mental well-being, Patients and Families

Loneliness has been identified as a major public health concern with significant implications for physical health, mental health and well-being. APA’s latest Healthy Minds Monthly national poll found that 30% of adults say they have experienced feelings of loneliness at least once a week over the past year. Research has found that loneliness and social isolation may be as bad for your health as obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and significantly impacts mental health.(1) While it has been a concern for some time, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the problem as well as public awareness of the issue.

Understanding the Barriers to Coming Out for LGBTQ+ People of Color

• LGBTQ+, Patients and Families

Even as societal attitudes and laws have shifted, many queer people from minority communities still stay in the closet. Understanding the reasons why can help health professionals better serve this group, and everyone to better understand the challenges this community faces.

What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

• Mental health disorders

Many people may be familiar with the casual use of the term narcissist, referring to a person who is very self-centered, boastful and hungry for attention and admiration. However, narcissistic personality disorder, a condition described in the DSM-5-TR*, is more severe, persistent and problematic.

Not “Just a Teenage Girl in Her Twenties”: A New Approach to Human Development

At the turn of the 21st century, research by developmental scientist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D., led to his proposal of the term “emerging adulthood” to describe the interval from the end of compulsory high school to adulthood (ages 18-30). A new American Psychiatric Association publication authored by Karen J. Gilmore, M.D., and Pamela Meersand, Ph.D., of Columbia University builds on Arnett’s work, arguing for the value of distinguishing two phases within this period: early emerging adulthood/late adolescence (ages 18–23) and emerging adulthood proper (ages 24–30).