WOMEN’S HISTORY: March is National Women’s History Month, which traces its roots to March 8, 1857. At that time, women from various New York City factories staged a protest over poor working conditions.

The first Women’s Day celebration in the United States was in 1909, also in New York City. More than seven decades later, Congress in 1981 established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March.

In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month, and every year since has passed a resolution (and the president has issued a proclamation) designating March Women’s History Month.

The number of females in the United States as of July 2019 was 166.6 million, while there were 161.7 million males. In 2010, there were 157 million females and 151.8 million males.

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MEDICATION OVER THERAPY: COVID-19 lockdowns and ongoing concerns related to the pandemic have caused Pennsylvanians to close off their emotions, according to a recent study.

Detox.net conducted a study of 4,150 people and found that 1 in 3 Pennsylvanians say they would seek medication over therapy when feeling down. Over half (56%) say they have become more closed off about their emotions during the pandemic, and 43% are deterred from seeking help by the fact that therapy would be attended virtually.

During the pandemic, the number of prescriptions written for anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications increased by 34.1%, and 18.6%, respectively. A recent survey found that people with depression were 64% more likely to increase their alcohol consumption during the pandemic, and those with anxiety were 41% more likely to do so as well.

Finally, almost 1 in 5 (17%) of those who have struggled emotionally during the pandemic, say the idea of seeking therapy intimidates them.