Behavioral Health

black lives matter protest in a full street

Police killings and Black mental health

Specialists from across the Penn community discuss the mental health impacts of Black people being subjected to videos of African Americans being killed by the police.

Person looks out of window with bottle and a glass of wine on a table

When alcohol and a pandemic mix

Edwin Kim, medical director of Penn Medicine’s Charles O’Brien Center for Addiction Treatment, discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected how people use—and misuse—alcohol.

A child sits on the grass in front of a large fence covered in Black Lives Matter protest signs, another child plays on a small toy slide on the sidewalk in front of the fence.

The trauma that underlies student behavior and educators’ responses

As educators work to understand their students’ emotional needs, they must also consider how they themselves are impacted by traumatic events. Says Penn GSE’s Marsha Richardson, everyone is reacting to stressors and trauma in their unique way.

A health care worker in personal protective gear swabs a person in a vehicle at a drive-up COVID testing site.

At a community health center, doctors offer COVID testing—and screening for depression

The Sayre Health Center in West Philadelphia is including anxiety and depression screening with COVID-19 testing, a necessity for a population especially at risk for both.

Child standing with a hand in an open cabinet in what appears to be a kitchen. A clock on the stove nearby reads 3:26.

To keep firearms safe from children, look to behavioral economics

Mental shortcuts and cognitive biases may factor into whether a gun gets locked up, separate from ammunition. New findings suggest several ways to positively influence this behavior.

pyramid of multiple rolls of toilet paper, implying hoarding in crisis

Why do people react differently when confronting the same threat?

In the face of the coronavirus, some people collected household goods. Others ignored the warnings altogether. Two Penn researchers explain why both responses are normal and how to find a middle ground if you disagree with those around you.

An adult and child lay on the floor in sunlight doing a puzzle

Five tips to stay positive and healthy during social isolation

In this strange new time, it’s important to stay connected to the people you love and replace the physical contact that’s been lost.

front steps of Penn Nursing’s Fagin Hall in sunlight

Flattening the curve of the coronavirus

In the current fast-moving, unprecedented situation, what we do today to stem the impact of COVID-19 can vastly affect what we will face tomorrow. Two epidemiologists discuss what we can do individually and as a society to slow the spread of the disease.

Hands holding smartphone with fingers poised over screen

Vaccine misinformation and social media

People who look to social media for information are more likely to be misinformed about vaccines than those who rely on traditional media.

Q&A

Demystifying feline behavior

Carlo Siracusa and James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine contextualize recent findings in cat behavior science, debunk some cat-related myths, and explain why our kitties are not just “low-maintenance dogs.”

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