mental health

A medicine that sidesteps the brain's dopamine receptors to reach different targets represents a new approach to schizophrenia treatment. The Food and Drug Administration approved it Thursday.

Climate-driven flooding destroyed Tony Calhoun’s home in 2022. But as the water receded, his despair only grew. Now, his family hopes to bring attention to the mental health toll of extreme weather.

Rates of depression and anxiety have risen among teens over the last decade. Amid this ongoing mental health crisis, the American Psychological Association issued guidelines for parents to increase protection for teens online. In this encore episode, NPR science correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff looks into the data on how that change has impacted the mental health of teenagers. In her reporting, she found that the seismic shift of smartphones and social media has re-defined how teens socialize, communicate and even sleep. In 2009, about half of teens said they were using social media daily, reported psychologist Jean Twenge. And by 2022, 95% of teens said they used some social media, and about a third said they use it constantly.

Researchers following a group of American children for decades found that even short periods of housing instability increased the chances of poor mental and physical health years later.

The federal government is investing billions to bolster school safety and mental health resources to combat gun violence. But some sense a disconnect between those programs and what students need.