Mental Health

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order during a Rose Garden ceremony dramatically expanding access to child care and long-term care for the elderly and others that need it. “We’re here today to take action on... Read More

WASHINGTON — In 2021, the United States declared child and adolescent mental health a national emergency. COVID-19 was a factor, but a decline in mental health had been documented for at least a decade. In 2018, suicide was the second... Read More

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, announced this week that the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, will receive two grants, worth $2,238,994, over a period of five years to train school-based mental health service providers. The grants, which... Read More

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Virginia. (AP) — On Navy ships docked at this vast base, hundreds of sailors in below-deck mazes of windowless passageways perform intense, often monotonous manual labor. It's necessary work before a ship deploys, but hard to adjust... Read More

WASHINGTON — An increased reliance on telehealth services and medications for opioid use disorder by Medicare beneficiaries significantly reduced their risk for fatal overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reported on Wednesday. Published... Read More

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The state of Ohio received more than $209,000 in wellness and community resilience funding this week, the first in a series of grants awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the wake... Read More

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In Florida, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bevy of new legislation that will, if passed, restrict certain health educational materials used in state schools. One such bill, House Bill 1069, would limit children below sixth grade from... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden are teaming up with Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” on Monday to highlight “the importance of addressing your mental health to promote overall well-being.” The first couple hosted actor Jason... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., checked himself into the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Wednesday night to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said Thursday. The senator, who suffered a near-fatal stroke while... Read More

The pandemic took a harsh toll on U.S. teen girls’ mental health, with almost 60% reporting feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness, according to a government survey released Monday that bolsters earlier data. Sexual violence, suicidal thoughts, suicidal behavior and... Read More

The coolest thing on social media these days may be celebrities and regular folks plunging into frigid water or taking ice baths. The touted benefits include improved mood, more energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation, but the science supporting some... Read More

HONOLULU — Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, is continuing to press law enforcement and other officials to stem the rising tide of gender-based violence and sex-trafficking involving Native Hawaiian women and girls. Recently she traveled back to the big island from... Read More

WASHINGTON — Web searches for melatonin are up about 36%, suggesting sleep may be harder to come by during the winter months, a new survey from the Sleep Foundation says. The D.C.-based foundation recently analyzed about 18 years of data... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services announced new steps on Wednesday aimed at reducing the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes. “No nursing home resident should be improperly diagnosed with schizophrenia or given an inappropriate... Read More

WASHINGTON — Perhaps the highest percentage to date — 76% — of undergraduate college students surveyed in a 2021 Gallup poll suggested that they have considered dropping out of college due to mental health concerns. This statistic was recently shared... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul used her first State of the State address since being elected to a full four-year term in November 2022 to vow to dramatically change the state’s approach to dealing with mental health... Read More

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously ratified newly sworn-in Mayor Karen Bass’ declaration of an emergency in regard to homelessness. Bass began her first day in office by declaring a state of emergency, vowing to move swiftly to... Read More

ST. LOUIS — Exercise and mindfulness training under the supervision of coaches may have a wealth of benefits, but according to a new study, boosting cognitive performance isn’t one of them. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St.... Read More

WASHINGTON — Suicide deaths involving heavy alcohol use have increased significantly among women in recent years, according to a new study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Previous research has shown that alcohol is a risk... Read More

WASHINGTON – A medication for heart problems and high blood pressure may also be effective for treating alcohol use disorder, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues. The study presents converging... Read More

PHUKET, Thailand — Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina ranked among the nation’s most stressed states, according to a new study conducted by addiction specialists at Diamond Rehab Thailand, a luxury inpatient rehab center in Southeast Asia. For the purpose of... Read More

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – In 2019 and on into 2020, essentially the period covering the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, about 21% of adults in the U.S. experienced some form of mental illness, according to the nonprofit Mental Health America. That... Read More

An experimental drug that removes a substance called amyloid — a toxic protein — from the brain appears to slow down Alzheimer's disease. The drug, lecanemab, reduced the rate of cognitive decline by 27% in a study of nearly 1,800... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed changes to federal regulations governing the confidentiality of medical records related to substance abuse disorders. According to department officials, the proposed changes to Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder... Read More

WASHINGTON — A new scholarship program has been established by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist individuals pursuing graduate degrees in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or mental health counseling. The new initiative is called the Vet... Read More

Mira Ugwuadu felt anxious and depressed when she returned to her high school in Cobb County, Georgia, last fall after months of remote learning, so she sought help. But her school counselor kept rescheduling their meetings because she had so... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama said she struggled with a “crushing sense of hopelessness” after the 2020 presidential election that was brought on by the death and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, a summer of political and racial unrest and the insurrection... Read More

CHICAGO — A new survey from the American Dental Association has found that more than half of dentists — 52% — say patients are arriving for appointments high on cannabis or some other drug. Currently, recreational cannabis use is legal... Read More

WASHINGTON — A study of nearly 2,000 children found that those who said they played video games for three hours or more a day performed better on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory than their non-game playing... Read More

WASHINGTON — The bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus on Tuesday endorsed the VA Zero Suicide Demonstration Project Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at improving suicide prevention and mental health care for veterans. In 2019, there was an average of more... Read More