Behavioral Health | Penn Today

A person facing the camera shrugging with arms wide open. Another person is standing to the right, and two others are in the background.

An improv class that enriches the mind and soul, even remotely

The Penn Memory Center’s Cognitive Comedy program gives people with memory impairments and their caregivers a no-pressure space to think creatively, socialize, and be part of a community.

Bottle of liquid COVID-19 vaccination with a syringe lying against it in front of a row of vaccine bottles in the background.

Is the threat of COVID vaccine hesitancy getting enough attention?

The ultimate key to ending the coronavirus pandemic is developing an effective vaccine and administering it to the population. But a number of trends are converging in ways that may prevent the achievement of that population-wide herd immunity.

On the left side of the screen, fireworks in the night sky, on the right, two military members in combat gear in front of an explosive device.

The overlooked effects of fireworks

For veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder, fireworks and loud pyrotechnics can add stress and trigger physical reactions, as they mimic the stimuli of combat.

Landscape photo of a park, with a sign that reads "Welcome to Historic Clark Park, University City, Established 1895"

Can spending time in nature prevent or lessen postpartum depression?

Nurtured in Nature, a pilot project in Black communities conducted by Penn Medicine’s Eugenia South, aims to find out.

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.

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