Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, chair of the UNC Department of Psychiatry, was named to the prestigious list of women working to improve mental health across the country.
From Forbes: “The Covid-19 pandemic—and related economic slowdown—has produced a twin pandemic: a mental health crisis. Four in ten Americans are reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, up from 1 in 10 before the pandemic; more than a third of the population has reported negative effects on their sleep or eating, while 12% say they’re consuming more alcohol than they did before 2020 happened.
“While these statistics have helped further break the stigma around talking about mental health, there is still a long way to go. It’s why Mental Health Awareness month, which began in 1949, is still acknowledged every May. For this year’s edition of the observance, the National Alliance for Mental Illness is promoting a theme of ‘you are not alone,’ to communicate to those who might be struggling that they are far from the only ones in that struggle.
“And so, in honor of Mental Health Awareness month and as part of our weekly series—in partnership with Know Your Value and Mika Brzezinski—to highlight women over 50 who are changing the world, this week we want to shine a light on the women over 50 who are working to break down stigmas around mental illness while also creating solutions that will help our collective mental health.”
Named to this list was Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, Assad Meymandi Distinguished Professor and Chair of the UNC Department of Psychiatry and Director of the UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders.