Mary-Frances O'Connor to speak at NASEM Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology Mary-Frances O'Connor has been asked to speak on a panel by National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) on Essential Health Care Services Related to Anxiety and Mood Disorders in Women.
The Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders will hold the hybrid public workshop, April 29-30, 2024, to explore currently available evidence to identify, define, and improve essential health care services related to anxiety and mood disorders in women across the life course. Discussions will also center health disparities experienced by women with mental health needs.
According to NASEM, "Behavioral health and substance-related disorders affect approximately 20 percent of Americans. Of those with a substance use disorder, approximately 60 percent also have a mental health disorder. These disorders account for a substantial burden of disability, have been associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality from other chronic illnesses, and can be risk factors for death by suicide, incarceration, and homelessness. They can compromise a person's ability to seek out and afford health care, and to adhere to care recommendations."
For more information, please visit the event webpage.
Mary-Frances O'Connor is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the physiological correlates of emotion, in particular the wide range of physical and emotional responses during bereavement, including yearning and isolation. She believes that a clinical science approach toward the experience and mechanisms of grieving can improve interventions for prolonged grief disorder, newly included in the revised DSM-5. More information: https://maryfrancesoconnor.org.