Health News Trends: Mental Health, Migraine and Alzheimer’s Awareness Months, and More

A look at health news from PR Newswire in May and June that you might have missed.

By Caitlyn Wojnarowski | Published July 14, 2023

Every month, we analyze thousands of wire releases and identify key topics that influence the ways health companies are reaching their targeted audiences. Part of our expertise is helping the industry we regularly work with generate interaction beyond the press release, so they can educate and deliver for their audiences on a new level.

Throughout the months of May and June, we identified reoccurring trends regarding new medical technologies, studies, and publications, as well as information on health education programs and campaigns. This also includes the latest updates on student mental health and wellness, National Migraine Awareness Month, Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and oral care trends.

Let’s take a closer look at the noteworthy trends we’ve seen across the health wire in May and June.

Popular Health Releases

Over the last two months, these health releases stood out from the crowd regarding overall views, engagement, and uniqueness:

• Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and TimelyCare Partner to Support College Students' Mental Health: TimelyCare is now making the "Be There Certificate," a free online mental health course created by Jack.org in partnership with Born This Way Foundation, available on its platform to support college students across the country. Students can easily access the free, self-paced learning experience designed to increase mental health literacy and provide people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to safely support anyone who may be struggling with their mental health.
• New Delta Dental report reveals U.S. adults recognize importance of oral health to overall well-being: The report further indicates that adults and children plan to keep up with positive dental hygiene habits that were cultivated during the pandemic, and a notable portion of adults are turning to alternative oral care products.
• Erase PTSD Now Kicks Off Campaign to Change the Term PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) to PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury): PTSI, deemed a more accurate term, recognizes that the condition is not a disorder, but rather an injury that can be treated as such. This simple name change can help remove the stigma surrounding this diagnosis and encourage individuals to seek the help they need.
• Modern Health and Naomi Osaka Host Its First-Ever Family Huddle to Navigate Mental Health: To empower families and caregivers, Modern Health's first Family Huddle will explore strategies for building positive mental health habits to help families openly discuss this important, and traditionally stigmatized topic.

Health News Trends

Throughout May and June, we distributed over 6,000 health-related press releases and we noticed a couple popular topics:

Student Mental Health and Wellness

Health encompasses mental, social, and physical wellbeing. Mental health affects how we think, how we act, and how we feel and it’s key to understand the importance of our mental wellbeing throughout every stage of life and how it affects us every day.

Mental health and physical health are equally important components of overall wellbeing and we saw that importance displayed on the wire in May and June, especially when it came to students and children.

As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we were not surprised to see a wave of press releases related to this newsworthy topic. Nearly 500 releases related to mental health hit the wire during the past two months.

Here are some examples that caught our eye:

• Mindpath Health releases Supporting Children with Anxiety: A Guide for Parents
• Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture Awarded $2 Million in Funding to Support Social and Behavioral Healthy Living Research
• Addressing the Mental Health Crisis Facing Our Youth: Cincinnati Children's Takes a Proactive Approach
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Partners with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to Address Youth Mental Health Crisis

National Migraine Awareness Month

The World Health Organization ranks migraines as one of the 10 most disabling medical illnesses. And they're common. They impact more than 37 million people in the U.S., according to data from the American Migraine Foundation.

Migraine headache triggers can range from hormonal changes to certain foods and drinks, stress, and exercise. They can even be weather-related or hereditary. Migraines can cause throbbing on one side that can vary in intensity while some cause nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.  Currently, there are preventative and pain-relieving medications that can help manage migraine headaches.

Throughout May and June (which is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month), nearly 200 releases mentioning "migraine" or "headache" were distributed, a slight uptick from the previous two months.

Here are just a few examples:

• June is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month
• EpiCast Report: Migraine - Epidemiology Forecast to 2023
• AbbVie Secures Positive CHMP Opinion for Atogepant for the Preventive Treatment of Adults with Migraine
• Pulmatrix Presents PUR3100 Phase 1 Data at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Headache Society

Oral Care

Oral health affects our ability to speak, eat, smile, and show emotions. Everyone should be taking care of their oral hygiene and general health no matter their age. However, by age 8, over half of children (52%) have had a cavity in their baby teeth and 1 in 4 adults aged 20 to 64 currently has cavities, according to data from the CDC.

During May and June, PR Newswire distributed more than 160 dental-related press releases, a 20% increase from the March/April period.

Here are a few you might have missed:

• DDS Marketing is the First Dental Marketing Company Using AI
• Kansas City University Opens College of Dental Medicine to Address Oral Health Crisis
• Maine Senate Acts to Protect Kids from Big Tobacco by Voting to End the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products

National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

According to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Association, in 2023, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the United States $345 billion. This number is projected to rise to nearly $1 trillion in 2050. It’s important for us to continue nurturing our brain and exercising it throughout all ages of life. Especially for those in advanced age, nurturing the brain becomes even more important in maintaining overall well-being.

The Alzheimer’s Association states that physical activity and nutrition are the best places to begin training the brain. Environments that are organized, social, and intellectually stimulating are conducive to helping our brain reach its full potential.

During May and June (which is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month), more than 200 releases crossed the wire that mentioned "Alzheimer's," a 10% increase from the previous two-month period.

Catch up with these releases:

• Alzheimer's Association to Host Rallies in All 50 States to Make New Treatments for Alzheimer's Accessible
• Alzheimer's Disease Emerging Tools Report 2023: Sector to Reach $1.7 Billion by 2028 at a 13.6% CAGR
• Progress in New Alzheimer's Therapeutics Based on Biology of Aging Highlighted in Symposium Hosted by Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
• Cognitive Wellness: Spotlighting Brain Health during Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month
  

Conclusion

In May and June, health companies shared thousands of announcements with their customers and shareholders. With several awareness holidays on the calendar for mental health, migraines, and Alzheimer's, we saw these topics dominate the wire.

Looking ahead, we have events like Healthy Vision Month (July), National Breastfeeding Month (August), and Immunization Awareness Month (August) that could impact the copy we see from health companies. We'll be keeping an eye on these and other emerging health news trends. 

Stay tuned!

About the Author

Caitlyn Wojnarowski is a Content Specialist at Cision PR Newswire and has a degree in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of Akron. Since working at Cision, she has joined the CLEmpower and Industry Ambassadors groups, as she enjoys being involved inside the workplace. Recently, she has taken on a new adventure and moved to Long Island, NY, with her boyfriend Jeff. Outside of work, Caitlyn can be found exploring the nearest hiking trail, trying her hand at new recipes in the kitchen, starting the day at the yoga studio, or listening to Crime Junkies podcasts.