mental health

Bridget Narsh at her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Narsh's son has autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, and ADHD. In 2020, he spent more than 100 days at Central Regional Hospital, a state-run mental health facility. The state billed the family nearly $102,000 for the hospitalizations.

Health & Safety

A mom owed nearly $102,000 for her son's stay in a state mental health hospital

5:00am July 19, 2023

by Fred Clasen-Kelly

One North Carolina family's six-figure medical bill came from a state hospital. The attorney general, who is running for governor and says he's against high medical costs, tried to collect the debt.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline marks one year of operation on July 16.

Health & Safety

988 mental health crisis line gets 5 million calls, texts and chats in first year

9:20am July 15, 2023

The 3-digit suicide prevention lifeline went live a year ago. More work is needed on the 988 system, but the first year has gone more smoothly than many expected.

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Public art in Altoona, Penn., one of many cities hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Marianne Sinisi organized the installation after her son died of an overdose. State and local governments have received about $3 billion so far out of $50 billion total in settlements from national lawsuits.

Opioid settlement payouts are now public — and we know how much local governments got

5:30am June 16, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

KFF Health News obtained documents showing the exact dollar amounts — down to the cent — that local governments have been paid in 2022 and 2023 in lawsuit settlements from the opioid crisis.

Dopamine is part of an ancient neural pathway that ensures human survival. It is also part of the reason it is so hard to stop playing a video game or pass up a cupcake.

Health & Safety

'Anti-dopamine parenting' can curb a kid's craving for screens or sweets

8:11am June 12, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Dopamine is a part of our brain's survival mechanism. It is also part of why sugary foods and social media hook kids. The latest neuroscience can help parents help their kids manage behavior.

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FILE - A protestor holds a sign during a Students Demand Action event, near the U.S. Capitol, Monday, June 6, 2022, in Washington.

Poll: Most Americans say curbing gun violence is more important than gun rights

5:08am May 24, 2023

by Domenico Montanaro

A year after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found the highest percentage in a decade said ending gun violence trumps protecting gun rights.

Miguel Lerma, right, with his grandparents who raised him, Jose and Virginia Aldaco.

Health & Safety

Pandemic hits 'stop button,' but for some life is forever changed

5:17pm May 11, 2023

NPR talked to hundreds of people over the course of the pandemic. As the emergency declaration ends on May 11, we asked some of them for their reflections on the past three tumultuous years.

For years, the research picture on how social media affects teen mental health has been murky. That is changing as scientists find new tools to answer the question.

Health & Safety

The truth about teens, social media and the mental health crisis

4:26pm April 25, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A striking decline in teen mental health has coincided with the rise of smartphones and social media. Is social media causing the mental health challenges? Finally, research can answer that question.

In Rancho Cordova, Calif., Diana and Lorrin Burdick host an informal support group lunch at their house for parents of children struggling with severe mental health problems, including schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Need help for loved ones with severe mental health illness? California has a plan

5:00am March 29, 2023

by Eric Westervelt

The state is planning "Care Court" pilot programs to help people with severe mental illness. A judge can order a treatment plan that counties must fund. Disability rights groups have sued to stop it.

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Charged with second-degree murder in the death of Irvo Noel Otieno were: (top row, from left) Henrico County Sheriff's Deputies Bradley Disse, Brandon Rodgers, Dwayne Bramble, Tabitha Levere, Jermaine Branch (bottom row, from left), Kaiyell Sanders and Randy Boyer, Central State Hospital workers Darian Blackwell, Sadarius Williams and Wavie Jones.

National

7 deputies and 3 others face murder charges in a Black man's death at mental hospital

5:12pm March 16, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Irvo Otieno was transferred from jail to a state mental health facility on March 6. Prosecutors say he was handcuffed during the intake process and "smothered" by seven deputies for some 12 minutes.

Jennifer Mitchell thumbs through her husband's medical records from his time at the Montana State Hospital. Records show doctors took Mitchell's husband off some of his congestive heart failure medications. Mitchell says she was never consulted.

Health & Safety

Her husband died after stay at Montana State Hospital. She wants answers.

7:42am March 02, 2023

by Aaron Bolton

Injuries, abuse, and neglect have continued at the state-run psychiatric facility that lost its federal certification due to preventable patient deaths. But an information blackout remains.

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