Mental Health

HARRISBURG, Penn. -- Pennsylvania lawmakers recently announced plans to expand the Medicaid postpartum coverage period for mothers. The extension will take effect on April 1, 2022.  “Pennsylvania has worked to protect and support mothers before, during and after birth for... Read More

The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has struggled for years with patient overcrowding in state mental health hospitals. Then, on July 9, five out of the eight state psychiatric hospitals were forced to temporarily close to new... Read More

A study by Chinese researchers examines the ability of acupuncture treatment to suppress inflammatory stress, improve immunity, and regulate nervous system function to help patients with COVID-19.  “Acupuncture is widely used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as osteoarthritis,... Read More

The Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Online Global Summit, hosted by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, is holding a week-long event, July 20-24, that brings together professionals from sexual abuse and exploitation sectors to discuss how to connect, educate... Read More

In a medical first, researchers harnessed the brain waves of a paralyzed man unable to speak — and turned what he intended to say into sentences on a computer screen. It will take years of additional research but the study,... Read More

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Monday that the United States’ aging population will hit the economy “like a ton of bricks” without increased federal aid for at-home elder and disabled care. Raimondo made the comments during an interview with Reuters,... Read More

Feeling constantly under attack? According to a new report on the Mayo Clinic website, it may just be a case of your body naturally treating minor hassles as full-blown threats. But you don’t have to let stress control your life,... Read More

The impact of COVID-19 has been traumatic for many, but for those living with HIV the pandemic may have reawakened feelings of social exclusion and fear with receiving a positive status.  “I'm an HIV positive person and I just survived... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House Rules Committee will hold a roundtable examining local innovations in combating hunger on Thursday, at 3:30 p.m. The event is the fifth in a series of committee events highlighting the reality of food insecurity in America... Read More

The court-appointed attorneys representing Britney Spears in her conservatorship case resigned Tuesday after the pop icon asked a judge for permission to hire her own counsel. The high-profile case is testing whether California's conservatorship laws protect the wealthy celebrities they... Read More

The hashtag “#freebritney” has recently been flooding social media channels after the pop sensation claimed her 2008 court-mandated conservatorship withheld her from removing her intrauterine device, hindering her ability to reproduce, an issue which has been at the heart of... Read More

Eating disorders can affect the reward response within the brain which may reinforce the eating disorder itself, based on the results of a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health. “The eating disorder behavior sensitizes or desensitizes the... Read More

Lockdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic created barriers to providing in-person treatment services for those battling opioid addiction, so Bicycle Health, which provides evidence-based treatment for opioid-use disorder, decided to go virtual. “When the pandemic hit and the public health... Read More

WASHINGTON- The Department of Veterans Affairs released data about its involvement with the national coronavirus response. According to the data, it provided thousands of personal protective equipment, admitted hundreds of non-veterans to its facilities, and performed thousands of tests across... Read More

The National Institutes of Health now believes cannabis use, regardless of frequency, could be associated with increased thoughts of suicide among young adults.  In a study released Tuesday, the finding involving over 280,000 young adults found a statistical association between... Read More

The World Health Organization released new suicide prevention guidance last week aimed at reducing the world’s suicide rate by a third by 2030. “While a comprehensive national suicide prevention strategy should be the ultimate goal for all governments,” said Dr.... Read More

The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, a bill recently reintroduced by members of the Senate and House, aims to increase the presence of social workers, counselors and other personnel to support marginalized students. “Our legislation is pretty simple. It... Read More

The House Committee on Financial Services met this past week to discuss how increasing Section 8 housing vouchers could reduce housing instability, overcrowding, and better prepare the nation for the next health or economic crisis.  “Providing a voucher to all... Read More

Although mental health concerns have continued for many people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there could be a helping hand as close as the refrigerator. Annalisa Freire, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Intermountain Spanish Fork Hospital, explained that studies show... Read More

A study published this week indicates that just one session of storytelling can increase oxytocin, reduce cortisol and pain, and promote positive emotional shifts in children admitted into an intensive care unit. “As a storyteller myself I decided to investigate... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas-- In Texas this week, a bipartisan bill to develop a study on the use of psychedelic therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate.  “We are losing over 20 veterans a day... Read More

WASHINGTON - Tuesday, the US Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, announced that it is dedicating $4.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan to support the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program. This funding will... Read More

Many hospital beds are full. Waiting lists for outpatient treatment are bulging. And teens and adults seeking help for eating disorders are often finding it takes months to get an appointment. The pandemic created treacherous conditions for eating disorders, leading... Read More

Marna Gatlin, a 58-year-old from Portland, Ore., is the administrator of a Facebook support group for morbidly obese individuals. Gatlin has struggled with obesity for several years but found this past year to be more challenging.  “I decided during the... Read More

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Normally conservative Alabama has become the latest state in the union to approve the use of medical marijuana in at least some circumstances. Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation Monday, a week after the state House of... Read More

Questions are emerging as to whether women's menstrual cycles are impacted by COVID-19 vaccines, and two women researchers are conducting a survey to figure out if there are impacts and if so, why they are happening. “A lot of people... Read More

A recent report from the Health and Human Services Department finds that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services needs to improve data used to monitor antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes, as insufficient data underestimates the scope of the antipsychotic... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Incidents the past few days in New York City demonstrate why a congressional subcommittee met Thursday to discuss “a national mental health crisis.” Last week, an emotionally disturbed man barricaded himself in a subway motorman’s car, shutting down... Read More

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — During the gloomiest stretches of the pandemic, Dr. Diona Krahn's veterinary clinic has been a puppy fest, overrun with new four-legged patients.  Typically, she'd get three or four new puppies a week, but between shelter... Read More

WASHINGTON — After a federal judge ruled on Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on evictions exceeded the agency's authority, the Department of Justice announced it would appeal the decision. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich authored... Read More