Have you ever heard someone say, “Depression runs in my family?” They are correct. Many mental health diagnoses have strong genetic and environmental components. In other words, your mental health is impacted by nature AND nurture. Mental illnesses in parents represent a risk for children in the family. The risk…
In an article published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, CDC researchers found that, as of 2011-2012, more than 1 in 20, or 2.6 million, U.S. children aged 6-17 years had current anxiety or depression that had previously been diagnosed by a healthcare provider. These parent report data showed slightly…
Epidemiologic studies suggest that prenatal stress is associated with preterm birth, low birth weight (1–3), and peripartum anxiety and depressive symptoms (4). The most recent population-based study, assessing trends in stress experienced in the year before an infant’s birth, used 1990–1995 data from 11 states participating in the Pregnancy Risk…
Suicide prevention has been based on a mental health treatment approach because clinical conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, psychosis, or alcohol and substance dependence) are apparent among many who kill themselves (3). However, this approach only reaches small segments of the population who have identified risk factors and who can surmount…
Top The suicide rate for males aged 15–19 years increased from 12.0 to 18.1 per 100,000 population from 1975 to 1990, declined to 10.8 by 2007, and then increased 31% to 14.2 by 2015. The rate in 2015 for males was still lower than the peak rates in the mid-…
Pandemics can be stressful The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel isolated and…
Suicide is a major and continuing public health concern in the United States. During 1999–2015, approximately 600,000 U.S. residents died by suicide, with the highest annual rate occurring in 2015 (1). Annual county-level mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and annual county-level population data from the U.S….
Postpartum depression is common and associated with adverse infant and maternal outcomes (e.g., lower breastfeeding initiation and duration and poor maternal and infant bonding) (1–3). A developmental Healthy People 2020 objective is to decrease the proportion of women delivering a live birth who experience postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS).* To provide a baseline…
