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Psychiatry

The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
Headshots of two people. On the left is a person with glasses wearing a blazer, white shirt and blue tie. On the right is a person in a black blazer, black-and-white blouse and visible necklace. Both are smiling.

Edward Brodkin is co-director of the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence, director of the Adult Autism Spectrum Program, and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine. Penn alumna Ashley Pallathra is a clinical researcher and therapist pursuing her Ph.D. at The Catholic University of America. They co-wrote “Missing Each Other.” (Images: Christopher Descano)

The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic

A new book from Penn’s Edward Brodkin and psychology doctoral candidate Ashley Pallathra focuses on the science and practice of attunement, the process by which people can most effectively connect to themselves and others.

Michele W. Berger

Anxiety in a post-COVID world
Newton’s cradle where one end swinging ball is a covid virus cell and the other is a content happy face.

Anxiety in a post-COVID world

A return to the next normal post-pandemic may trigger anxiety for people anticipating a more public-facing life after a year of isolation.
Writer Jenny Lawson on the unusual cure for her depression: ‘I had happiness drilled into my head’

Writer Jenny Lawson on the unusual cure for her depression: ‘I had happiness drilled into my head’

Yvette I. Sheline of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which uses a magnetic field to help patients with treatment-resistant depression. Fifty percent of patients see a 50% improvement, and 30% have full remission, she said.

A tool for more inclusive autism screening
Young child with autism plays with a large beach ball.

A tool for more inclusive autism screening

A new visual screening tool for autism spectrum disorder may reduce disparities in diagnoses, especially when English is not a family’s primary language.

When the message matters, use science to craft it
Close-up of a smiling person in a black V-neck shirt, standing outside near marble pillars.

Jessica Fishman, director of the Message Effects Lab, is a faculty research associate with appointments at the Annenberg School for Communication and in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine. (Image: Courtesy of Annenberg School for Communication)

When the message matters, use science to craft it

An interdisciplinary initiative called the Message Effects Lab aims to understand, tap into, and develop communication around what motivates specific behaviors for specific populations. Its first projects center around COVID-19 testing and vaccines.

Michele W. Berger

Public psychiatry’s mission: Providing mental health care to those who need it the most
Rachel Talley portrait.

Rachel Talley, clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry. (Image: Penn Medicine News)

Public psychiatry’s mission: Providing mental health care to those who need it the most

Rachel Talley on public psychiatry, the impact of COVID-19 on community mental health, and how she went from an internship at the White House to championing public health at Penn’s department of Psychiatry. 
Wellness resources at your fingertips
Person performs a yoga pose in a home

Wellness resources at your fingertips

When facing the challenges of the current moment, Penn students, faculty, and staff have options to promote their emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Long-term effects of COVID-19 and support to cope
microscopic image of covid

Long-term effects of COVID-19 and support to cope

Millions of people around the world have already survived a bout with COVID-19. Clinicians are learning how cases can trigger lasting consequences for the body.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Brain scans of 9- to 11-year-olds offer clues about aggressive, antisocial behavior
A person standing along a glass wall in a building with a yelllow waffle ceiling.

Rebecca Waller, an assistant professor of psychology, studies antisocial behaviors and parent-child interactions.

Brain scans of 9- to 11-year-olds offer clues about aggressive, antisocial behavior

Two new papers, one about gray matter, the other about reward behavior, suggest that at the neural level not all conduct problems look the same.

Michele W. Berger