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Mental Health

Across Harvard, researchers and scholars are working to better understand the full scope of mental health, including what causes disorders and how to best implement preventions and treatments.

An overview

In addressing the global mental health crisis, it鈥檚 important to understand聽the full scope of the problem so experts can properly provide care and support.


50%

of the world鈥檚 population will experience a mental health disorder ()


1 in 5

people under 18 experience a mental illness each year ()


11 years

is the average delay between onset of mental health symptoms and treatment ()


35%

increase in suicide rates over the past two decades ()

Let’s talk treatment

Researchers and physicians 黑料专区 are working to improve diagnostic methods, medical treatments, and access to care to move mental health care forward.


Patient speaking with a doctor

Normalizing mental health check-ups

Promoting a proactive approach to mental health can help catch problematic symptoms early on.

Seeking solutions for bipolar disorder

Photo of Paola Arlotta

Creating a drug discovery platform for mental health conditions

Close up of brain neurons

Using a machine-learning tool for assessing suicide risk in patients

Photo of Matthew Nock and Jordan Smoller

Diagnosing psychiatric disorders through genetic testing

An illustration of a double helix and a human brain

Treating drug-resistant depression with TMS

A woman wearing a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device

Just start

Supporting and maintaining your mental health is a lifelong practice and can often require professional assistance, but creating positive habits that have a lasting impact can start at any time.

  • Walk

    A person walking in the woods
    Studies show that spending time in natural environments can .

  • Eat

    A person eating an orange
    Eating an orange a day may , according to a study led by Harvard Medical School’s Raaj Mehta.

  • Breathe

    A person walking in the woods
    Meditating for five minutes a day, consistently for a month, has shown .

Youth and mental health


A text exchange where someone is asking of the other person is ok

The kids aren’t alright

In this issue of the Harvard Medicine magazine, experts 黑料专区 Medical School explore the mental health crisis among young people through a number of different approaches.

Exploring how early development impacts mental health

Researchers are exploring early means of , and better understanding how .

Understanding the power of the parent-child relationship

Harvard scientists are exploring the link between , and offering to improve issues.

Learning how school impacts mental health

With colleges seeing an on campus, Harvard experts are for all students.

Screen time

Emerging technologies have the potential to help or harm mental health. Harvard researchers are working to better understand their impact.


Work/life balance

We spend close to a third of our lives working. Researchers are working to understand how that impacts our mental health, and what we can do to improve that relationship.


An illustration of a working tired but still working

Psychological safety at work is essential

A Harvard study found that workplaces where workers believed speaking up would not lead to embarrassment, rejection, or punishment had less incidence of employee burnout and less turnover.

Teachers

Why it’s important that schools create space to acknowledge and respond to the stress of the job.

Executives

Why it鈥檚 important for organizations to address mental health and how executives should handle pressure at the top.

Factory workers

Research shows that a one-size-fits-all approach to worker wellbeing initiatives aren’t as effective as ones catered to workers specific needs.

Doctors

Sharing stories of personal struggle can help doctors become better at their jobs.

Athletes

A study found that NFL players face an increased risk of suicide compared to basketball and baseball players.

Delving deeper

Harvard faculty and alums are inviting readers and listeners to take a closer look at the many corners of mental health.


Harvard Thinking

This episode of the Harvard Thinking podcast features experts discussing how trauma and adversity affect our biology and what that might mean for health care in the future.

Colloquy

This episode features alum and clinical psychologist Emily Bernstein who studies the challenges faced by graduate students and why she thinks our smartphones could become an important vehicle for delivering mental health care.

On our campus

All across Harvard, mental health services are expanding and improving to support the wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff.