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Special Report

The Future of Mental Health

As the isolation and anxiety caused by the pandemic put a renewed focus on our brain's ability to cope with trauma, Smithsonian magazine brings you stories about the latest advancements in treatments and understanding of mental illness


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A patient uses the gameChange virtual reality program.

SCIENCE

Inside the Effort to Expand Virtual Reality Treatments for Mental Health

Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms (pictured here), has been designated by the FDA as a breakthrough therapy for treatment resistant depression.

SCIENCE

Why Psychedelic Drugs May Become a Key Treatment for PTSD and Depression

High social media use may simply be a coping mechanism, rather than a cause, of adolescents' mental health challenges. 

SMART NEWS

Negative Effects of Social Media May Impact Adolescent Girls and Boys at Different Ages

More Stories

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released draft recommendation statements for anxiety, depression and suicide risk in kids earlier this week.

SMART NEWS

Kids as Young as Eight Years Old Should Be Screened for Anxiety, Task Force Says

Margaret Osborne

High social media use may simply be a coping mechanism, rather than a cause, of adolescents' mental health challenges. 

SMART NEWS

Negative Effects of Social Media May Impact Adolescent Girls and Boys at Different Ages

Corryn Wetzel

Most people who had only mild Covid-19 infections are not at higher risk for persistent mental health challenges.

SMART NEWS

Lasting Depression and Anxiety Can Follow Severe Covid-19 Cases

Corryn Wetzel

Runners in Hawaii exercise at sunset. Exercise has profound effects on brain structure and provides more subtle mental health benefits as well.

SCIENCE

How Exercise Boosts the Brain and Improves Mental Health

Bob Holmes, Knowable

Eating disorders affect hundreds of millions around the world and are dominated by negative thoughts and behaviors around food, eating, weight and body shape. Current research reveals the best evidence-based psychological therapies and some new avenues for treatments.

INNOVATION

The Search for a Better Treatment for Eating Disorders

Kendall Powell, Knowable

The CDC added mental health disorders to the list of primarily physical conditions that increase the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization or death. 

SMART NEWS

The CDC Adds Mental Health Conditions to High-Risk Covid-19 List

Corryn Wetzel

A woman with anorexia gets ready to weigh herself.

SCIENCE

How Patients With Eating Disorders Have Been Affected by the Pandemic

Kate Mishkin

Soldiers take a psychological test (the exact type of examination is unclear) in Camp Lee in Virginia in November 1917, the year the United States entered World War I and  Woodworth first developed his test.

HISTORY

The First Personality Test Was Developed During World War I

Lila Thulin

This brain is just one of many making up the Indiana Medical History Museum's extensive collection.

TRAVEL

How One Museum Is Giving a Voice to Former Mental Health Patients

Jennifer Nalewicki

Resource

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National Suicide Prevention Hotline

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, you can call 1-800-273-8255 for free and confidential support.

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