Mental Health

Imagining a Mental Health System Centered on Learning & Growth

Growing and making changes can bring joy to life—as does finding deeper relationships. Can all this decrease emotional suffering too? What could it mean for our mental health if this became more central to our healing efforts?

Mental Health

Does Your Depression Keep Getting Worse? This Might Be Why

The FDA approved antidepressants as helpful short-term support based on studies spanning a few months. In making longer-term decisions, it’s crucial to pay more attention to what we know from longer-term research studies.

A woman leans over a crowded bathroom sink, illustrating the burden and secrecy of addiction.
Health

Untying the Gordian Knot of Addiction

“Why can’t I just stop?!” Understanding the brain’s own learning capacities can help us answer this maddening question that comes up with any addiction. It may also help us find a way out.

Mental Health

Hope Sometimes Hurts. Hopelessness Hurts More.

Remarkable scientific advances now confirm greater hope for deeper healing among those grappling with depression and anxiety. But this can feel unsettling and even threatening to some.

Red & Black Graphic Resembling 'Scary Stories' | Are Utahns More Depressed? | Public Square Magazine | Mental Health & Depression in Utah | Antidepressant Use | Utah Depression Rate
Mental Health

Are Utahns More Depressed Than Everyone Else?

You’ve probably heard somewhere – from someone – that Utahns are far more likely to be depressed. You probably have not, however, heard about the broader picture of research that contradicts that especially popular Scary Story about Utah.

Mental Health

Are Religious LGBT Youth in Utah More (or Less) Prone to Suicidality?

The narrative that teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ are causing suicidality among LGBT youth is unsubstantiated. New research, showing a negative association between Church membership and suicidality in these youth, suggests the possibility that the opposite is true.

Book of Scary Stories to Tell About Utah | Flawed Data: Mormon Beauty Standards | Complex Reality of Utah's Beauty Standards
Health

Do Utahns Struggle with Body Image More Than Others?

In parallel to the “uniquely drawn to pornography” story is the “uniquely drawn to plastic surgery” tale about Utah. Once again, the preponderance of the available evidence – especially when carefully reviewed – isn’t so convenient and favorable to this increasingly popular narrative.

Red, White & Black 'Stories to Tell about Utah' Graphic Resembling 'Scary Stories' Books | Are Utahns Uniquely Drawn to Pornography? | Public Square Magazine | Utah Porn
Mental Health

Are Utahns Uniquely Drawn to Pornography?

Some still like to claim that Utah has a uniquely high rate of porn use in the nation—purportedly related to cultural norms that “suppress” and “shame” sexual expression. This popular story only survives out of widespread ignorance over the science of pornography itself.

Health

Long-term, Short-term

In advance of the likely approval and administration of COVID-19 vaccination to many younger children, it’s worth revisiting an important question in pharmacological research generally: How long does evidence gathering need to extend in order to deem an intervention “safe” or “effective”?