A special program helps women combat depression, other mental health issues

Wayne State’s Infant Mental Health Program screens parents during routine well-child visits to asses their basic needs, mental health and general well-being to help bridge the gap between new parents accessing healthcare. The program is a “one-stop shop” for physical and mental healthcare needs, having served nearly 250 families in just eight months.

After Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, three music therapists from Fundación Música y País (Music and Country Foundation) traveled to over 20 shelters for children in foster care, providing music therapy. The foundation expanded this work during the pandemic and continues to advocate for more professional music therapy services in Puerto Rico. Evidence suggests music therapy helps participants relax, eases feelings of anxiety and even helps some youth come out of their shells and become more expressive.

The New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services program addresses rising youth mental health needs exacerbated by the pandemic with 15 regional hubs across the state, each staffed with mental health counselors and crisis prevention consultants. The program uses a three-tier model, providing universal mental health workshops, small-group interventions and clinical interventions at schools, libraries and community centers.

The Kalamazoo Collaborative Care Program provides social workers and other mental-health expertise to help primary-care physicians treat patients with behavioral health issues. The program is currently working to expand by creating a psychiatric clinic to help further address the shortage of psychiatrists and mental health professionals.

In Minneapolis, a collaboration between the Division of Race and Equity, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the city’s procurement department has helped establish an emergency mental health fund that aims to more equitably supply resources to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reimbursement-based fund provides clinical counselors with the financial support necessary to increase their caseloads and focus on "helping people of color, women, indigenous people, disabled people, and those who are undocumented."

A new form of psychiatric treatment known as psychedelic-assisted therapy is gaining recognition of being a credible way to fight against anxiety and depression. This breakthrough has proven to be especially beneficial for cancer patients and survivors, who often develop cancer-related anxiety and depression.

"We exploited the biological clock," is how an Italian psychiatrist describes what he has been testing to treat those suffering from bipolar disorder and depression. The approach, which has received both praise and criticism, requires patients to go through sleep deprivation, and so far, many are reporting successful outcomes from it.

In rural farming communities, it's not uncommon for those working in the agricultural industry to struggle with anxiety and depression. Because mental health professionals often aren't readily available in these areas, many turn to online resources such as #AgTwitter. However, a farm bill pilot program that piggybacks off of this type of communication is aiming to fill more of the gaps by strengthening outreach resources.

Providing senior citizens with animal-assisted therapy has been known to lessen rates of loneliness while also aiding in brain health by reducing cases as dementia. Because taking care of a living animal is not always a reality, robotic pets may help fill that void by being requiring commitment while still providing companionship.

In rural parts of Wyoming, many people have trouble accessing mental health care resources, but telemedicine is changing that. Employing graduate students as counselors, people can access a telehealth clinic in order to obtain support in the form of specialized trauma care.