Mental Health

Lessons learned from the Joplin tornado: peer-to-peer mental health programs

7:07am December 30, 2021

by Frank Morris

As part of a response to a tornado a decade ago that killed more than 160 people, the Missouri city of Joplin developed a peer-to-peer mental health program that's been widely replicated.

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Pandemic rules that allowed virtual prescribing of controlled medications very controversial. It's allowed many to seek treatment opioid addiction, but some worry about the potential for abuse.

Health & Safety

Limits on virtual addiction treatment may soon return, making care harder to access

5:01am December 30, 2021

by Yuki Noguchi

A ban on using telemedicine to prescribe controlled medications was suspended in the pandemic. That's allowed many to seek opioid addiction treatment, but some worry about potential for abuse.

Dr. Ricardo Nuila, a physician in Houston, had already begun writing a book when the pandemic began. He felt lucky to have something to escape to when he felt powerless. A typewriter sits with a page typed out that says "Chapter One". He says, "One day yo

Health & Safety

Why your doctor may be quilting and your nurse may have a podcast

4:02pm December 29, 2021

by Grace Farris

You could call them hobbies. But for some health workers facing burnout, creative outlets provide more than solace — they give a sense of meaning and community.

A screenshot from video of the song '1-800-273-8255' by Logic on YouTube.

Logic's song '1-800-273-8255' may have led to hundreds of fewer suicides, study finds

3:52pm December 28, 2021

In 2017, the rapper Logic named a song after the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number. A new study has found it may have had a remarkable impact.

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Using poetry to understand grief during a very difficult year

5:06pm December 25, 2021

It's been a difficult year for many people. NPR's Elissa Nadworny talks with poet Danez Smith about using poetry to understand and process complex emotions like grief.

Did a song by the rapper Logic lead to fewer suicides?

5:14pm December 24, 2021

When rapper Logic's song "1-800-273-8255" — the digits for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — came out, the hotline started getting more calls.

Leo Perez played football in college and believes he may struggle with CTE.

Meet 4 people who worry about CTE, but never played in the NFL

4:48pm December 23, 2021

by Sacha Pfeiffer

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is infamous in the NFL. But there's a quiet population of everyday people who never played pro sports yet fear CTE. Here are some of their stories.

"I use the word 'doom,' " T.J. Abraham said of his fear that he has CTE from past head injuries, "because I feel like there's no easy way out of this and there's no good outcome."

Everyday people fear they have CTE. A dubious market has sprung up to treat them

4:39pm December 23, 2021

by Sacha Pfeiffer

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) goes far beyond the NFL. Everyday men and women worry they have the fatal disease, and they've turned to questionable brain products for help.

Grimsley High School teacher Sierra Hannipole checks in with a student at the Greensboro, N.C., school's learning hub. According to new federal data, 6 in 10 schools around the U.S., including Grimsley, have given extra training to teachers to support stu

Here's what schools are doing to try to address students' social-emotional needs

7:01am December 23, 2021

by Anya Kamenetz

New federal numbers show the nation's schools are hiring and training staff and expanding previous curricula to address student mental health.

Student Journalists

Dispatches From Within: The one-hour special

4:59pm December 22, 2021

by Radio 101 class at R.J. Reynolds High School

At the beginning of the school year, the Radio 101 class at R.J. Reynolds high school was tasked to look into the issue of teen mental health.

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