Susan Headshot August 2018_1.jpg

Susan Gurley, JD
Executive Director

 

 

 

ADAA Stands Against Racism

June 4, 2020

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s (ADAA) mission is more critical than ever. Since ADAA’s founding 40 years ago, we have been committed to ensuring that everyone who struggles with an anxiety disorder, depression or PTSD can obtain the resources they need to live healthier and more productive lives. 
 
Over the last few months, we have seen that many of our poorest neighborhoods and communities of color have suffered disproportionately from the spread of COVID-19. Many of these same marginalized communities are also grappling with economic uncertainty, and now with the recent killing of George Floyd following so many other killings of African Americans, with increased mental health issues. ADAA’s mental health experts understand that exposure to these pervasive racial traumas and stressors are detrimental to one’s mental health. We also know that many people of color who suffer from mental health issues also experience less access to care and services.  Read the full statement here.

ADAA is pleased to announce that Luana Marques, PhD has assumed the role of President of the ADAA Board of Directors (BOD) effective January 1, 2020. Dr. Marques will serve a two-year term. Dr. Marques succeeds Beth Salcedo, MD, who served as ADAA BOD President from 2017-2019. Dr. Salcedo will now serve as Immediate Past Board Chair. Dr. Marques has been an active member of ADAA since 2008 and has served on the Board since 2016. Dr. Marques is an ADAA Clinical Fellow, serves as the Board Liaison to the ADAA Annual Conference Committee, the Professional Education Committee, the PTSD Special Interest Group and the Multicultural Advances Special Interest Group. Read more.


ADAA Congratulates Scott Rauch, MD on Election to National Academy of Medicine

On October 23, 2019 ADAA Board Secretary Scott Rauch, MD of McLean Hospital was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Offered to approximately 80 professionals in the fields of health and medicine a year, election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors recognizing individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement.

In the announcement, NAM President, Victor J. Dzau, stated, "These newly elected members represent the most exceptional scholars and leaders whose remarkable work has advanced science, medicine, and health in the U.S. and around the globe. Their expertise will be vital to addressing today's most pressing health and scientific challenges and informing the future of health and medicine for the benefit of us all."

ADAA also recognizes its other members elected to the NAM:

  • Larry Culpepper, MD
  • Judy Garber, PhD
  • Ned Kalin, MD
  • Ronald Kessler, PhD
  • David Kupfer, PhD
  • Charlie Nemeroff, MD, CMO and ADAA board member
  • Daniel Pine, MD
  • Kerry Ressler, PhD
  • Alan Schatzberg, MD
  • Myrna Weissman, PhD

Venable Grant Awarded to ADAA

VEN-Foundation_Logo_RGB_slider.jpgThe Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a 2018 grant from the Venable Foundation

Immigrant and refugee families in the US face significant barriers in accessing mental health care services. Some of these barriers include: higher levels of stigma, misinformation about mental health, language differences and stressors associated with migration and resettlement. Funding from the Venable grant will allow ADAA to enhance our diversity focused mental health resources that specifically target the immigrant/refugee population. These resources include consumer webinars, blog posts, online support groups and more for immigrant and refugee families. Click here to learn more.
 


KidGuard Grant Awarded to ADAA

kidguard_1_0.pngADAA is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a 2018 Nonprofit grant from KidGuard. KidGuard is a technology services company that provides information & tools for parents to keep their kids safe online. KidGuard awards annual grants to registered 501(c) nonprofit organizations that have a mission to protect, support, or advocate for the benefit of family and children. 
 
Over the last several years, rates of childhood depression have continued to rise. Yet, information and awareness about childhood depression has not kept pace with this alarming trend. With increased exposure to social media, children are at greater risk of experiencing cyberbullying and negative situations that can increase their anxiety, put them at risk for depression and in more severe cases, suicide. Funding from the KidGuard grant, will allow ADAA to enhance our current educational content and mental health resources for children and teens. These resources include consumer webinars, child-friendly infographics, blog posts and educational videos covering topics such as childhood depression and anxiety, how to identify symptoms and where to find effective and suitable treatment options. Click here to learn more. 


ADAA is excited to share our 2018 Impact Report highlighting the accomplishments and growth we have made within the past year in our public and professional communities. Click here to view. 


 


ADAA Board President, Beth Salcedo, MD, and Child Mind Institute President, Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, co-authored this essay as a companion to “Understanding Anxiety,” the Child Mind Institute’s 2018 Children’s Mental Health Report. Read more.

 



ADAA Statement_0.pngADAA Statement on PTSD, Panic, and Sexual Assault 

As clinicians, scientists, and professors who are experts in the fields of anxiety, depression, and trauma, the recent media coverage of trauma and sexual assault have moved us to comment, not on the particulars discussed, but on the potential impact on the patients to whom we have committed our careers to help. Read more.



A New Collaborative Partnership

ADAA is excited to announce a new partnership with Tonic, VICE Media's health and wellness site. As a site that strives to bring frank, editorial and video to young people who want to be healthier — and want to learn about the forces that prevent us from doing so — Tonic has identified mental health as a key area of concern and interest for their readers. Tonic launched - Coping- a free e-newsletter that will focus on anxiety and depression, and through story links, embedded videos, and user-generated content, will take a look at what tools and strategies can help people find relief and support. ADAA member Michelle Lozano, MFT will be working with Tonic to review content prior to publication and to answer readers' mental health questions (email Tonic at coping@vice.com). Sign up to have Coping arrive in your inbox.



Thank you to our Facebook Fundraisers!

Since November of 2017 when Facebook launched its new fundraising program, ADAA has been extremely fortunate to receive many generous donations through Facebook fundraisers. These fundraisers are created by Facebook members celebrating birthdays and choosing - in lieu of gifts - to have their friends and family make donations to a nonprofit of their choice. We wanted to extend a huge thank you to those who choose to fundraise on behalf of ADAA - your generosity makes a critical difference! Read more. 


ADAA is pleased to announce that Luana Marques, PhD has been elected President-Elect of the ADAA Board of Directors and will assume the Board Presidency in January of 2020. Dr. Marques has been an active member of ADAA since 2008 and has served on the board since 2016. Dr. Marques is an ADAA Clinical Fellow, serves as the board liaison to the ADAA Annual Conference Committee, the Professional Education Committee, the PTSD Special Interest Group and the Multicultural Advances Special Interest Group. Read more. 


ADAA Selected As Top Finalist for “Outstanding Organization Award” from the Child Mind Institute

We are proud to announce that the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) has been chosen from among hundreds of organizations as one of five finalists for the 2018 Outstanding Organization Award from the Child Mind Institute! The winner will be decided as a result of online voting which is open to the public as of today through March 23. We would really appreciate your support for us by voting for us today and spreading the word! Please note: one vote per email address per day may be entered. Read more.



ADAA 2017 Year in Review Cropped_0.pngGrowth, Engagement and Impact

The Board and staff extends a special thank you to our ADAA members ad partners for their contributions and collaboration throughout this past year. Together we have accomplished much in advancing ADAA's public and professional mission and we look forward to a very productive and successful 2018. We invite you to view our 2017 Year in Review summary to see how we have grown our reach and impact.
 


ADAA is pleased to announce that Beth Salcedo, MD has assumed the role of President of the ADAA Board of Directors (BOD) effective January 1, 2018. Dr. Salcedo will serve a two year term. Dr. Salcedo succeeds Karen L. Cassiday, PhD, who served as ADAA BOD President from 2015-2017. Dr. Cassiday will now serve as Immediate Past Board Chair.  Read more. 


2017 has been a very busy year for ADAA

The San Francisco Annual Conference in April was a very successful highlight. With a record number of attendees (over 1,300) from across the United States and around the world attending more than 170 innovative sessions, listening to engaging keynotes and participating in special symposia, ADAA shone an important spotlight on behavioral medicine and its application to anxiety and depressive disorders. The 2018 Annual Conference will be held in DC this coming April and will focus on treatment-resistant anxiety and depression: challenges and opportunities. We look forward to another engaging 4 days of learning, sharing and connecting. Read ADAA's 2017 Board Year-End Reflections here.


 

Learn more about this collaboration.


 

Estamos emocionados a introducir el inicio de la comunidad de ADAA’s HealthUnlocked en Español! Este anónimo miembro-a-miembro grupo de apoyo para ansiedad y depresión servirá como un espacio seguro y de apoyo para que gente pueda compartir información y experiencias, y para unirse con otra gente sufriendo de ansiedad, depresión, o trastornos relacionados. Suscríbase hoy a la Comunidad HealthUnlocked en Español! https://healthunlocked.com/ansiedad-depresion-apoyo


Hope and Grace Fund Grant Awarded to ADAA

ADAA is delighted to announce that we have received a grant from the hope & grace fund, a project of New Venture Fund in partnership with philosophy, inc.” The grant allows ADAA to launch an exciting new initiative “Turning a Laser-Focus on Women’s Issues in the Treatment of Anxiety, Depression and Related Disorders.” 

Through this new project, ADAA will form a Women’s Special Interest Group to design women-focused programming for mental health professionals. It will also develop programming for its 2018 annual conference that focuses on evidence-based gender research and treatment options for women. Finally, ADAA will create women-focused webinars and outreach to educate the public about mental health treatment options for women and to decrease the stigma of mental illness. This project will educate at least 100 clinical researchers and clinicians on female-focused mental health research and treatment trends, while also disseminating educational information about mental health to more than a million women of all ages. Through this initiative, ADAA will reduce the stigma of mental illness, connect women to specialized treatment, and foster dialogue between women’s mental health researchers, clinicians, patients, and the public at large. Interested in learning more about how can become involved in this exciting new project? Please contact Lise Bram.


New! Spanish Resources for Consumers - Recursos en Español

ADAA is delighted to announce that we have recently added Spanish language translations of some of our consumer brochures and infographics. ADAA ha lanzado nuevos recursos para personas que hablan el español y profesionales que trabajan con la comunidad latina. I invite you to visit our Recursos en Españoll website page to learn more. If you are an ADAA member and would be interested in hosting a Spanish language webinar, or writing a blog post, please let us know. We are continuing to translate website content, brochures and more and will also be offering a number of Spanish language free consumer webinars in late 2017. 


Dr. Peter Roy-Byrne, ADAA’s Depression and Anxiety Journal’s departing editor-in-chief. Peter has been the Journal’s editor since 2008. Under Peter’s leadership and guidance the Journal has thrived and now ranks 19 of 140 in psychiatry journals with an impact factor of 5.004. ADAA is deeply grateful to Peter for his commitment, vision and stewardship. A special thank you also to Myrna Weissman, deputy editor, for her many years of dedication to the Journal. ADAA would also like to recognize ADAA member Murray B. Stein, MD, MPH who will take over as the Journal’s editor-in-chief as of July 1, 2017. We wish him all the best in his new role.


Meet ADAA's New Honorary Board Member - Michael Gleason

Anxiety.org.

Read more about Michael.


New Partnership with Anxiety UK

ADAA is delighted announce a new partnership with Anxiety UK. Anxiety UK is a national registered charity formed in 1970 by someone living with agoraphobia for those affected by anxiety disorders. They are a user lead organization run by people with the experience of living with anxiety or anxiety-based depression, supported by a high-profile medical advisory panel.

Anxiety UK works to relieve and support those living with anxiety and anxiety-based depression by providing information, support and understanding via an extensive range of services, including 1:1 therapy. 

ADAA believes that by working together, both Anxiety UK and ADAA have the potential to achieve far more than we could alone as partnership enhances the common mission of both organizations to help individuals and their families who are affected by anxiety and depression, as well as support the professionals who provide direct services. Through this association both organizations will benefit from an open channel of communication, sharing experiences and knowledge of best practice, while opening new avenues of mutual possibility.  Read more


Thrive at NIMH 2017 2_0.jpgADAA Pedestal Foods Partnership - Project Thrive

Under the leadership of President Karen Cassiday, ADAA has created an evidence-based protocol for Pedestal Foods to train their staff and create experiences in the dining areas that promote student mental wellness. This initiative — Project Thrive — rooted in positive psychology, will help create moments of joy for students and offer resources for those in need of support. Project Thrive is being piloted at a high school in Nashville, Tennessee.  Read more.


There are countless organizations that serve as a professional home for mental health researchers and practitioners. So what makes ADAA unique? In addition to our focus on anxiety disorders and depression, ADAA also provides free resources and education to tens of thousands of people worldwide who struggle with these disorders.
ADAA members vary widely in experience level, from students to MDs and PhDs. For those still honing their skills, whether undergraduate students, graduate students, clinical trainees, or postdoctoral fellows/residents, ADAA provides ample opportunity to network with colleagues and even find a mentor. For the more experienced clinicians and researchers, ADAA offers a variety of resources to help keep abreast of the latest and most cutting edge research in the mental health field. Read more.