Mental Health

The Golden Gate Bridge stands over San Francisco Bay in 2014. Bridge officials have rolled out a crisis text hotline to encourage young people to reach out for help.

At Golden Gate Bridge, Texting Offers New Lifeline To Prevent Suicides

4:30pm October 03, 2016

by Stephanie Martin Taylor

The number of people younger than 25 showing up at the bridge intending to commit suicide is five times what it was in 2000. A crisis text hotline is encouraging young people to reach out for help.

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Vivian Guzofsky, 88, holds a baby doll at Sunrise Senior Living in Beverly Hills, Calif. Guzofsky, who has Alzheimer's disease, is calm when taking care of the dolls.

Doll Therapy May Help Calm People With Dementia, But It Has Critics

8:50am October 03, 2016

by Anna Gorman

Hugging a doll can soothe an upset toddler, and some say it can do the same for people with dementia. But critics say this form of therapy infantilizes adults.

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A new study says brain games won't make you smarter.

Brain Game Claims Fail A Big Scientific Test

8:34am October 03, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

When a team of researchers evaluated the scientific literature on brain games, they found little evidence that the products improve memory or thinking in real-world tasks.

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After a string of inpatient rehabilitation stays, Louis Casanova, who lives near Philadelphia, says he is still trying to break his addiction.

How We Got Here: Treating Addiction In 28 Days

8:28am October 01, 2016

by Ben Allen

Decades ago, a researcher came up with 28 days as the ideal length of stay for inpatient alcoholism rehab, despite lack of evidence that it worked. That model is now being used for opioid addiction.

Rats are great at remembering where they last sniffed the strawberries.

Rats That Reminisce May Lead To Better Tests For Alzheimer's Drugs

4:34pm September 29, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Most potential Alzheimer's drugs are tested on mice. But rats may be a better choice because they seem to have a type of memory that's more like ours, and also are highly vulnerable to Alzheimer's.

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Public health officials want doctors to consider treating alcohol abuse with medications that have a track record of success.

Medications Can Help People Stop Abusing Alcohol, But Many Don't Know That

4:23pm September 26, 2016

by Emma Yasinski

It is still rare for a person struggling with alcohol abuse to be prescribed naltrexone or acamprosate, two medications that have been proven to help. Efforts are underway to change that.

How Domestic Violence In One Home Affects Every Child In A Class

6:49pm September 24, 2016

by Gabrielle Emanuel

New data shows violence in the home hinders the academic performance of their classmates, too. Reporting domestic violence makes a big difference.

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Political Trends In Medicine: How Does Election Season Affect Our Health?

8:59am September 24, 2016

NPR's Scott Simon talks politics with Sally Satel, a clinical psychiatrist and medical policy expert. She follows political trends in medicine.

Der ligger en lille Ã¸ midt i den gamle havn i Kangeq.

Selvmord i Grønland: Det er ikke mørket, som dræber dig

3:06pm September 23, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Grønland har verdens højeste selvmordsrate. Og teenagedrenge er i højeste risikogruppe.

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How A 'Sixth Sense' Helps Simone Biles Fly, And The Rest Of Us Walk

5:03pm September 21, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists are finally beginning to understand proprioception, a sense that tells us where our body is in space. Much of what they've learned comes from two girls with a rare genetic disorder.