This is the third installment of a series published annually that explores the major mental health headlines and research findings in a year. This post looks at mental health in 2023.
For previous years, see Mental Health in 2022: The Year in Review and Mental Health in 2021: The Year in Review.
Mental Health in 2023
Mental health in 2023 presented a complex landscape, shaped by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increasing pervasiveness of artificial intelligence (AI), polarized politics, and the ongoing opioid crisis.
The year saw a growing recognition of the importance of mental health and a call for increased investment in mental health services and research, with the World Health Organization (WHO) launching a global campaign to make mental health a universal human right.
In this article, I will review major mental health findings and news stories from 2023, as well as highlight some of the promising new research that is being conducted in the field of mental health.
January
January 4, 2023
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) releases the results of the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey found:
- Nearly 6 in 10 Americans aged 12 and older reported using at least one substance, with alcohol being the most common.
- Over 4 million young people in the U.S. reported using tobacco products or vaping devices.
- 60 million Americans, or 45% of alcohol users, regularly engaged in binge drinking.
- Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 18.7% of people reporting use.
- 1 in 4 young adults and nearly 1 in 10 adolescents had a substance use disorder.
- 1 in 5 adolescents reported experiencing major depression.
- 22.8% of adults reported having a mental illness.
- Over 3 million (12.7%) teens had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, with 1.5 million (5.9%) making a plan and 892,000 (3.4%) attempting it.
- Among adults, 4.8% had serious thoughts of suicide, 1.4% made a suicide plan, and 0.7% attempted suicide.
January 5, 2023
Scientists uncover a surprising new use for clonidine, a 50-year-old blood pressure medication, as a potential new treatment for PTSD.
January 9, 2023
Americans rank inflation, recession, and gun violence as their top anxiety-inducing current events, according to an American Psychiatric Association poll.
January 10, 2023
New research suggests that acts of kindness could be a valuable tool for tackling depression. The study found that doing good deeds for others led to benefits not seen in two other traditional treatment methods.
January 13, 2023
In a press release, the American Psychological Association explains research linking the stress of daily political news consumption to a decline in mental wellbeing.
January 19, 2023
Researchers find that Black Americans were less likely than White Americans to receive buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid addiction, when visiting the emergency room. The odds of a Black patient being prescribed buprenorphine were nearly 40% lower than those of a White patient.
January 19, 2023
A team of scientists uncovers a new use for a medication used to treat a common skin condition, as a promising treatment for alcohol use disorder. Study participants who received the medication, called apremilast, reduced their alcohol intake by more than half.
February
February 1, 2023
Researchers find that Black children in the United States were more likely to experience childhood adversity than White children, and these disparities were linked to differences in brain structure and the development of psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD.
February 1, 2023
A new study indicates that both social isolation and loneliness were associated with higher rates of heart failure, but whether or not a person actually felt lonely was more important in determining risk than if they were actually alone.
February 2, 2023
Researchers find that having just one quality conversation with a friend during the day could make you feel happier and less stressed.
February 21, 2023
A team of psychology and data science researchers find that infants outperformed AI in detecting others’ intentions and motivations.
February 23, 2023
A study finds that teens and young adults who reduced social media use by 50% for several weeks felt significantly better about their weight and general appearance.
February 23, 2023
New research indicates that exercise may be more effective than traditional treatments for managing depression, anxiety, and distress. It was found that physical activity interventions were 1.5 times more effective than counseling or medication.
March
March 7, 2023
Researchers develop a blood test for anxiety that examines biomarkers to determine someone’s risk for developing an anxiety disorder, the severity of a person’s anxiety disorder, and which medications would be most effective.
March 9, 2023
According to research published by the American Psychological Association, the reason Americans (both conservative and liberal) share fake news is to fit in and not be excluded.
March 20, 2023
Researchers find that across the lifespan, certain personality traits – emotional stability, conscientiousness, extroversion, and agreeableness – were associated with greater life satisfaction and happiness.
March 20, 2023
A study finds that individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions fared worse outcomes from COVID-19 compared with the general population.
March 20, 2023
The United States ranks as the 15th happiest country in the world according to the World Happiness Report (with Finland ranking as the happiest and Afghanistan as the least happy country in the world).
March 28, 2023
Researchers find that marijuana-derived compounds effectively reversed opioid overdoses and could potentially be a more potent replacement for naloxone, which oftentimes requires multiple doses to revive a person who’s overdosed on fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s 50 times stronger than heroin.
March 29, 2023
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry indicates that telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic for opioid use disorder were associated with a reduction in overdose deaths.
March 29, 2023
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the first nonprescription, over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray, a medicine that can reverse an opioid-related overdose and prevent fatalities.
March 30, 2023
The Belgian outlet La Libre reports that a Belgian man died by suicide after chatting with an AI chatbot on an app called Chai. According to the man’s widow, the app’s chatbot encouraged the man to kill himself in conversations that became increasingly confusing and harmful.
March 30, 2023
The House introduces the Transgender Bill of Rights, a resolution recognizing that it is the duty of the federal government to develop and implement a “Transgender Bill of Rights” to protect the rights of transgender and nonbinary people and ensure access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security.
April
April 3, 2023
The FDA clears a monitoring device that detects when a person’s breathing slows to a dangerous level due to opioid use, a potential gamechanger for preventing fatal overdoses.
April 4, 2023
According to new data, 17% of American adults report feeling lonely, only a slight decrease from previous years during the pandemic’s peak.
April 6, 2023
The Pew Research Center reports that gun deaths among U.S. children and teens rose 50% in 2 years.
April 7, 2023
Only 1 in 5 adults in the United States rate current economic conditions as excellent or good, with 35% rating the economy as poor. 8 in 10 Americans say they are dissatisfied with the state of the nation, and an increasing number of Americans expect economic conditions to worsen in the coming year.
April 10, 2023
Duke developmental psychologists find that children judged Alexa to be smarter and more human-like than Roomba, but that both were deserving of kindness and neither deserved to be yelled at or harmed.
April 10, 2023
President Biden signs a bipartisan congressional resolution, ending the U.S. national emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 1.13 million Americans have died from COVID-19.
April 12, 2023
The ongoing shortage of commonly prescribed ADHD medications, initially announced by the FDA in October 2022, continues to persist without any clear resolution.
April 12, 2023
Xylazine’s growing role in overdose deaths nationwide prompts the Biden-Harris Administration to designate fentanyl combined with xylazine as an emerging threat to the United States.
April 13, 2023
Research indicates that a 3-day weekend has a positive impact on both mental and physical health, supporting the 4-day work week trend.
April 26, 2023
A Pew Research Center report finds that more Americans died from gun-related injuries in 2021 than in any other year on record, with active shooting incidents on the rise. Of the firearm deaths, 54% were suicides and 43% were murders. This reflects a 23% increase since 2019 (before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic).
April 27, 2023
The results of the American Psychological Association’s 2023 Work in America Survey suggest that mental wellbeing is a high priority for most employees. More than 9 in 10 Americans said it was important to work for an organization that valued their psychological wellbeing and provided mental health support. The majority of American workers also reported satisfaction with the current mental health support provided by their employers. At the same time, nearly 6 in 10 workers reported burnout and 1 in 5 employees reported workplace toxicity.
May
May 2, 2023
According to WHO, after 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems around the world are starting to show the first major signs of recovery.
May 2, 2023
Researchers develop two new potential medications, based on ibogaine, a plant with psychedelic properties, that are more potent than traditional medications used to treat addiction and depression.
May 3, 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues its May Vital Statistics Rapid Release report, noting that fentanyl overdose death rates far outpaced overdose rates of other illicit substances. According to the CDC, the rate of drug overdose deaths increased by 279% for drug overdoses involving fentanyl from 2016 to 2021.
May 3, 2023
The U.S. Surgeon General releases a new advisory, calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection, declaring war on the “loneliness epidemic” in America.
May 4, 2023
Researchers find strong evidence of a link between cannabis use and schizophrenia, the association stronger in men than women, estimating that at least 15% of cases of schizophrenia in males could have been prevented.
May 9, 2023
The American Psychological Association (APA) releases an advisory on social media use in adolescence with 10 recommendations. The APA cautioned that social media is neither inherently harmful nor beneficial, but because young people mature at different rates, some are more vulnerable to potential harms than others. Recommendations include limiting use of social media and minimizing exposure to certain types of content, among others.
May 9, 2023
SAMHSA and the FDA issue a Dear Colleague letter supporting the passage of legislation that makes it easier for healthcare practitioners to provide buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, emphasizing that it is a lifesaving intervention and noting an ongoing commitment to reducing barriers to accessing evidence-based treatments for addiction.
May 10, 2023
70% of adults in the United States report feeling anxious about keeping themselves or their families safe, according to a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association.
May 11, 2023
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declares an end to the global Public Health Emergency for COVID-19, shortly after the World Health Organization’s declaration on May 5, 2023.
May 12, 2023
The HHS celebrates the anniversary of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which first launched Mother’s Day 2022, and has since helped nearly 12,000 pregnant and postpartum individuals with mental health concerns.
May 26, 2023
Americans rate spending time with family as one of the most important things in life, followed by prioritizing physical activity, being outdoors, and having a successful career.
May 26, 2023
Americans, on average, estimate that a family of four needs a minimum income of $85,000 annually just to “get by,” a considerable increase from a decade ago. This is notably higher than the federal poverty line for a family of four, which is currently $30,000.
May 30, 2023
Researchers find that being obese significantly increased a person’s chances of developing a mental disorder across the lifespan.
May 30, 2023
Only 18% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the United States, naming the government, the economy, and immigration as the most significant problems the country is facing.
May 31, 2023
In an Instagram post, the National Center for Eating Disorders announces they are shutting down their AI-powered chatbot,
“Tessa,” for providing dubious and even harmful advice to people with eating disorders.
June
June 7, 2023
A study published in JAMA Network Open finds that ChatGPT provided critical resources only about 20% of the time when asked serious public health questions related to abuse, suicide, or other medical crises.
June 12, 2023
According to research published by the American Psychological Association, workers who frequently interacted with artificial intelligence systems were more likely to experience loneliness, increased after-work drinking, and insomnia.
June 13, 2023
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there has been a dramatic rise in overdose deaths among young people aged 14-18 in recent years. Although buprenorphine is the only opioid addiction treatment approved by the FDA for use in adolescents, buprenorphine treatment is limited among adolescents. Only 1 in 4 residential addiction treatment facilities for adolescents offer buprenorphine in the United States.
June 15, 2023
Research indicates that men died from overdose at 2-3 times greater a rate than women in the United States in 2020-2021.
June 15, 2023
The American Psychological Association finds that children who received high-quality childcare as babies, toddlers, and preschoolers did better in science, technology, engineering, and math through high school. This effect was more pronounced in children from low-income families.
June 21, 2023
SAMHSA issues an advisory on the mental health symptoms and conditions associated with long COVID-19, including fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, psychosis, cognitive impairment, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.
June 26, 2023
In a fascinating research study, the American Psychological Association sheds light on why some people are willing to believe conspiracy theories. In an analysis of 170 studies, researchers found that conspiracy theorists are driven strongly by intuition, feel a sense of antagonism and superiority toward others, and perceive dangers or threats in their environment. Those who strongly believed in conspiracy theories were also more likely to be insecure, paranoid, emotionally volatile, impulsive, suspicious, withdrawn, manipulative, egocentric, and eccentric.
June 27, 2023
Although the world is still in a heightened negative state, positive emotions are showing signs of recovery, having stalled last year, according to new data from Gallup.
June 29, 2023
The American Psychological Association denounces the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the rights of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina to consider the race of student applicants.
“Without purposeful attention to achieving diverse student bodies, our institutions of higher learning are likely to grow even more racially and ethnically polarized.”
July
July 5, 2023
Researchers find that the way a person remembers and processes childhood abuse has a greater impact on later mental health than the experience itself.
July 12, 2023
According to a new study, social isolation and loneliness are linked to lower brain volume in older adults.
July 13, 2023
One year after the rollout of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Spanish text and chat services are added and specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth and young adults are expanded.
July 24, 2023
JAMA Neurology research indicates that dementia becomes an emergency more than 1.4 million times a year, accounting for nearly 7% of all emergency visits for people over age 65.
July 30, 2023
A Harvard study reveals that 50% of the world’s population will have a mental health disorder by age 75.
July 31, 2023
Researchers find that GPT-3, an AI large language model, performed as well as college students at solving certain logic problems, similar to those found on standardized tests.
August
August 3, 2023
The HHS releases a report showing that the national uninsured rate reached an all-time low of 7.7% in early 2023, with approximately 6.3 million people gaining coverage since 2020, coinciding with the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration in January 2021.
August 4, 2023
The Food and Drug Administration approves the first pill to treat postpartum depression, a condition that affects around 1 in 7 postpartum women in the United States.
August 7, 2023
The Center for Countering Digital Hate releases a report indicating that AI tools generate and promote harmful content about eating disorders 41% of the time.
August 8, 2023
Wildfires devastate Maui, killing 98 people by smoke, flames or drowning, and reducing the historic resort town of Lahaina to ash and ruins.
August 10, 2023
OnPoint NYC, operator of the only recognized overdose prevention centers in the United States, announces that they have prevented over 1,000 potentially fatal overdoses in New York City.
August 10, 2023
Across nearly all gender, age, and education groups, roughly half of adults in America have experimented with marijuana, a new national average.
August 14, 2023
More than 6 in 10 Americans drink alcohol with 19% of drinkers saying they sometimes overindulge.
August 17, 2023
Research indicates that marijuana and hallucinogen use and binge drinking reached historic highs among adults 35 to 50 in 2022. While binge drinking has generally declined for the past 10 years among younger adults, adults aged 35 to 50 in 2022 reported the highest prevalence of binge drinking ever recorded for this age group.
August 19, 2023
Americans are smoking cigarettes at historically low rates, with only 12% of Americans smoking cigarettes.
August 22, 2023
Young Americans are drinking alcohol less and less frequently according to Gallup. Conversely, drinking has increased among adults aged 55 and older.
August 29, 2023
Researchers near human trials for vaccines to prevent fentanyl and heroin drug overdoses; they anticipate testing vaccines in humans in early 2024. The Phase 1 human trials will be conducted with Dr. Comer at Columbia University in New York City.
August 29, 2023
The Biden-Harris Administration asks the Drug Enforcement Administration to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, moving the classification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
August 29, 2023
JAMA Network Open research indicates that new synthetic opioids, such as the fentanyl analogue and nitazenes, are among the fastest growing types of opioids linked to overdose. Some nitazenes are up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl, requiring more doses of naloxone, an opioid-reversal medication, to revive victims.
August 31, 2023
From 1999 to 2020, drug overdose deaths in the United States quadrupled, with the highest increases in White and Native Americans and in Midwest areas, according to research published in The American Journal of Medicine.
August 31, 2023
The HHS secretary recognizes International Overdose Awareness Day in a statement, announcing new overdose prevention funding.
“Drug overdose does not discriminate – rich or poor, Black or white, urban or suburban, drug overdoses reach every corner of our society.”
September
September 5, 2023
In a one-of-a-kind study, researchers map where in the body different types of love are felt and how strongly they are experienced.
September 6, 2023
The California State Assembly passes a bill legalizing psychedelics, including mescaline, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin, and psilocin. In a news release, Senator Scott Wiener noted, “We know these substances are not addictive, and they show tremendous promise in treating many of the most intractable conditions driving our nation’s mental health crisis.”
September 8, 2023
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline adds American Sign Language (ASL) services for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
September 11, 2023
More than 1 in 5 Americans fear that technology will make their jobs obsolete, with the fear more pronounced in college-educated workers, according to data from Gallup.
September 12, 2023
Most Americans say that being a man in the United States helps a person get ahead, according to a Pew Research Center survey. In contrast, more Americans say that being a woman actually hurts someone’s ability to get ahead.
September 13, 2023
Research identifies a 50-fold increase in U.S. overdose deaths involving fentanyl and stimulants since 2010, rising from 0.6% (235 deaths) in 2010 to 32.3% (34,429 deaths) in 2021, marking a concerning “fourth wave” in the opioid epidemic.
September 14, 2023
A Pew Research Center report finds that many Americans are pessimistic about the institution of marriage and the family. What’s more, marriage and parenthood were seen as less important than career or having close friends when it came to fulfillment in life.
September 18, 2023
A new study indicates that higher buprenorphine doses were associated with improved retention in treatment for opioid use disorder.
September 19, 2023
According to data from Pew Research Center, Americans are exhausted by politics, and a growing number of Americans express dislike for both political parties.
September 20, 2023
SAMHSA releases Recovery from Substance Use and Mental Health Problems Among Adults in the United States, a report that provides data on Americans in recovery. For substance use specifically, 72.2% of adults with addiction considered themselves to be in recovery or to have recovered from their drug or alcohol use problem. For mental health, 66.5% considered themselves to be in recovery.
September 20, 2023
Researchers transform brain signals into audible speech by decoding signals from the brain through a combination of implants and AI, predicting the words people wanted to say with an accuracy of 92 to 100%.
September 22, 2023
The first generic over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray is made available by Padagis.
September 23, 2023
A trial of a preventive HIV vaccine begins enrollment in the United States and South Africa.
September 26, 2023
According to Pew Research Center, Black Americans are far more likely to view news coverage of Black people in a negative rather than positive light.
September 27, 2023
JAMA Psychiatry publishes a study indicating that decriminalizing drugs in Oregon and Washington did not increase overdose deaths 1 year post implementation.
October
October 4, 2023
Researchers develop a prediction model using machine learning to calculate the risk of opioid relapse among individuals receiving treatment as early as 3 weeks into treatment.
October 7, 2023
Hamas attacks Israel, killing hundreds and taking hostages, shocking the world.
October 10, 2023
On World Mental Health Awareness Day, the HHS secretary issues a statement addressing the mental health challenges faced by Americans and recognizing that mental health is a basic human right.
“In America, and around the world, we’ve come to a powerful realization: Mental Health is Health. Full stop.”
October 11, 2023
Gallup and the Institute for Family Studies publish a research brief, revealing that American teenagers spend an average of 4.8 hours per day using social media, far more time than they spend watching television, doing homework, perusing hobbies, and playing video games.
October 11, 2023
The American Psychological Association releases a statement in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel, condemning the violence and warning of the long-term psychological effects of fear and traumatic stress on mental wellbeing.
“The psychology community stands in solidarity with all who are working to protect and safeguard human life during this conflict… We call for peace, dialogue, and conflict resolution as a pathway to ending the conflict, which is necessary for us to begin the work to prevent the suffering that will continue to result from ongoing violence.”
October 18, 2023
A JAMA Network Open study indicates that telehealth increases opioid treatment access and retention, strengthening the evidence that receiving addiction care through telehealth is safe and beneficial, and that it should be made available to those who need it.
October 19, 2023
The American Psychological Association publishes research that found 4 in 10 people preferred to remain ignorant in certain situations. When study participants were given the choice to learn how their actions would affect someone else, an astonishing 40% of people chose ignorance.
October 24, 2023
About a quarter of the world feels lonely, according to a recent Meta-Gallup survey of more than 140 countries.
October 27, 2023
Research suggests that by 2040, the number of people living with dementia could reach 1.7 million, marking a significant increase of over 40% from previous projections.
October 30, 2023
As overdose rates among children and teens continues to rise, the Biden-Harris Administration calls on schools to stock naloxone, adding that faculty and students alike should be prepared to use the nasal spray to stop an overdose.
October 31, 2023
President Biden signs an Executive Order focused on regulating artificial intelligence by establishing new standards for safety and security, protecting Americans’ privacy, advocating for consumers and workers, and promoting innovation and competition.
November
November 1, 2023
The results of an American Psychological Association (APA) survey on stress in America challenge the notion that things are getting back to normal after the COVID-19 epidemic. APA psychologists widely agreed there is mounting evidence that society is experiencing the psychological impacts of a collective trauma, including global conflict, racism and racial injustice, inflation, and climate-related disasters.
November 2, 2023
New research links the pandemic to cognitive decline, indicating that brain health in individuals over 50 deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic, regardless of whether or not they had COVID-19.
November 2, 2023
The American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine collaborate to develop educational resources highlighting what physicians and the public should know about addiction, releasing two “Top 1o” lists to raise awareness, increase understanding, and combat stigma associated with addiction.
November 13, 2023
SAMHSA releases the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey found:
- Nearly 60% of Americans used tobacco products, vaped nicotine, drank alcohol, or used illicit drugs, a slightly higher rate than the previous year.
- 7.3% of adolescents used tobacco products or vaped nicotine; of that group, 73.2% vaped only and did not use other tobacco products.
- Of Americans who reported using alcohol, nearly 50% were binge drinkers, similar to the previous year.
- Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with more than 1 in 5 people aged 12 or older reporting use, up from the previous year.
- 48.7 million (nearly 1 in 5) Americans had a substance use disorder in 2022.
- 23.1% of adults had a mental illness, an increase from the previous year, with the highest rates among young adults aged 18 to 25, followed by adults aged 26 to 49.
- Adolescents experienced increased rates of suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts compared to the previous year. 13.4% had serious thoughts of suicide, 6.5% made a suicide plan, and 3.7% attempted suicide.
- Adults also experienced increased rates of suicidal thoughts and plans, but there was a slight decrease in attempts. 5.2% of adults in America had serious thoughts of suicide, 1.5% made a suicide plan, and 0.6% attempted suicide.
- A significant majority (7 in 10) of adults with substance use or mental illness are in recovery, representing over 50 million Americans.
November 13, 2023
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics indicates that nearly 1 in 5 school-aged children and preteens now take melatonin, a dietary supplement unregulated by the FDA, for sleep, with some parents routinely giving the hormone to preschoolers.
November 13, 2023
A study that looked at crime trends following the establishment of opioid overdose prevention centers in New York finds that there were no significant increases in crime or calls for emergency services in the neighborhoods where the centers opened. Instead, the overdose centers helped to reduce crime and public disorder, contributing to a safer community.
November 15, 2023
A team of researchers from Yale find that experiences of discrimination and acculturation during pregnancy disrupted the brain development of fetuses, in ways unrelated to general stress or depression.
November 17, 2023
In a potential breakthrough for those with opioid use disorder, researchers announce the first human trial of an ingestible “smart pill” that aims to prevent opioid overdose by monitoring respiration and heartrate in real-time.
November 20, 2023
The American Psychiatric Association remembers the life of Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in a press release.
“Few, if any, other Americans have been able to accomplish what she did for the cause of mental health. Mrs. Carter worked relentlessly to help the millions of people in this country who have mental illness or substance use disorders. She used her bully pulpit to bring the conversation about mental health out from the darkness and to advocate for a more comprehensive system of care.”
November 21, 2023
A Pew Research Center survey shows that Americans are increasingly cautious about the growing role of AI in their lives. A little over half of Americans expressed concern rather than excitement about AI. In comparison, only 10% were more excited than concerned.
November 22, 2023
NIH research reveals that overdose deaths increased in pregnant and postpartum women from early 2018 to late 2021. Among those aged 35 to 44, overdose mortality more than tripled during this period.
November 28, 2023
Scientists find that by customizing virtual assistants (such as Siri and Alexa) to sound more like a person, users were not only more likely to have a better overall experience but were more skeptical and analytical when processing information provided.
November 29, 2023
A majority of Asian adults in America say they have experienced racial discrimination in their daily lives, with nearly 40% of Asian Americans having been called offensive names by complete strangers.
November 29, 2023
A long-term research project finds no evidence to support cannabis as method for reducing opioid use. The study followed participants over a span of 18 to 20 years.
November 30, 2023
According to an American Psychological Association poll, nearly 9 in 10 Americans are stressed about the holidays, reporting concerns such as not having enough money, missing loved ones, and anticipating family conflict.
December
December 1, 2023
Researchers discover the brain mechanisms impacted by exposure to trauma in infancy – a critical time period when the brain is still developing – and how they may be reversible if treated early.
December 1, 2023
A study finds that younger, but not older, children were more likely to trust an inaccurate human than an inaccurate robot.
December 4, 2023
A team of scientists discover that artificial intelligence systems can be tricked more easily than previously thought, leading to errors in decision-making.
December 8, 2023
Wisconsin becomes the 31st state to ratify the Counseling Compact, which allows licensed professional counselors who live in a Compact member state to provide counseling services in other member states without the need for additional licenses, increasing access to mental health services for those in need.
December 18, 2023
Researchers find that artificial intelligence can accurately predict events in a person’s life by analyzing data on their residence, education, income, health, and working conditions.
December 21, 2023
Over 75% of U.S. adults plan to start 2024 with a New Year’s resolution, including 28% who want to work on improving their mental health.
December 22, 2023
The Biden-Harris Administration pardons thousands convicted of marijuana charges to help rectify racial disparities in the justice system.
Mental Health in 2023: Conclusion
To conclude, it’s been quite a year for mental health. While 2023 saw encouraging signs of recovery for some Americans impacted by the pandemic’s emotional toll, the year also presented significant challenges. The opioid epidemic continued to escalate, claiming more lives, while suicide rates rose at alarming rates and gun violence took a devastating toll.
However, amidst these sobering trends, glimmers of hope emerged for mental health in 2023. Increased access to treatment offered a lifeline to many, while ongoing research on novel treatment approaches for mental illness and addiction promised further breakthroughs.
When Harvard scholar Kari Nadeau was asked to sum up 2023 in one word, she chose the word “resilience.”
“I would say resilience is the word of the year, given how much our world has faced, how much individuals have suffered, and how much sorrow the public has experienced. I don’t use that word lightly, so to give more context, I believe that resilience is the ability to be cautiously optimistic and find purpose despite difficulties around us.”
Kari Nadeau
