A Letter from the HHS Partnership Center Director Greetings friends, The data is in and, as many would have anticipated, the COVID-19 pandemic was experienced with particular hardship among those with substance use disorders. In 2020, the rate of drug overdose deaths accelerated and increased 31% from the year before – usually from opioids –...
If you didn’t know already, June is Men’s Health Awareness Month. This is an important time to reflect on the benefits of prioritizing not only your health, but the health of all men in your life as well. With how busy our lives can get on a daily basis, it’s important to remember to take...Continue reading
There’s no question that parents’ mental health is an excellent predictor of their children’s mental health; children of parents suffering from anxiety and/or depression are far more likely to be diagnosed with the same conditions. Unfortunately, most of the research done on parental mental-health influences has focused exclusively or primarily on mothers. As a result,...Continue reading
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ensuring one’s physical health became the priority. As the toll of social distancing and prolonged stay-in-place orders have shown, the importance of addressing mental health and well-being is integral to our COVID-19 response for all, but particularly for people of color. Minority communities across the nation have experienced greater rates...Continue reading
Women have been trimming (or removing outright) their pubic hair for thousands of years. Men generally enjoy the results (in a recent study by askmen.com, 41% of men said they prefer women with no pubic hair at all, while 38% said they prefer a nice trim), but they’ve traditionally remained shaggier than their women. That,...Continue reading
More men experienced mental health crises and suicidal ideation during the pandemic lockdown than in previous years, according to a recent mental health report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Social isolation and environmental stress also led to a rise in substance abuse— a common coping mechanism for many depressed and anxious men. ...Continue reading
Physical pain brings little judgement from others upon the person suffering. A man’s strength does not come into question when he grimaces in pain from his broken leg. The content of his character and his place within his community do not stand in judgement as he struggles to recover. Yet what of injuries that...Continue reading
Well, here we are again, the last few weeks of the year. Those weeks that include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s—collectively called “the holidays.” If you’re reading this article, it means that you have survived the last two years – which have included an election, social unrest, and oh that darned pandemic! Instead of enjoying...Continue reading
The age of social media has seen the normalization of various aspects of life previously considered taboo. A primary example of this is mental health awareness. Instagram and Twitter are overflowing with examples of females (some with large followings) sharing vulnerable stories about their struggles with depression, anxiety, and more. They openly discuss their journey...Continue reading
The onset of the pandemic in 2020 led to a substantial increase in mental health challenges. In their August 2020 report, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the “prevalence of symptoms” of anxiety and depression were more than three times higher than they were a year before. Roughly 40% of respondents to their...