Mental Health

Community members enjoy a picnic on Gould Farm in Monterey, Mass., in the 1920s. Work on the farm remains a key part of the therapeutic process.

Community-Based Care Can Reduce The Stigma Of Mental Illness

7:00am July 02, 2016

by Jackie Goldstein

People with mental illness are often feared and stigmatized. Psychologist Jackie Goldstein says that having patients live in the community reduces fear and makes it more likely they'll get treatment.

Luc Ennekans, 51, is deeply attached to his host, Toni Smit. That's caused some friction in Smit's marriage.

For Centuries, A Small Town Has Embraced Strangers With Mental Illness

1:58pm July 01, 2016

by Angus Chen

Families struggle to find a safe, therapeutic place for loved ones with serious mental disorders. In Geel, Belgium, residents have brought mentally ill strangers into their homes for centuries.

William Kitt's portraits are based on his observations of the vibrant street life of Manhattan.

Invisibilia: For An Artist, A Room Of His Own Is A Lifesaver

1:52pm July 01, 2016

by Angus Chen

William Kitt was living on the streets, abusing drugs and very sick when Broadway Housing Communities in New York offered him a room. Thirteen years later, he's thriving. His art tells the tale.

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When mental health professionals don't take insurance, only the wealthy can afford their help.

How Therapy Became A Hobby Of The Wealthy, Out Of Reach For Those In Need

4:33pm June 30, 2016

by April Dembosky

Therapists are in such demand they can bypass insurance companies, so the wealthy are more likely to get treated. A historian explains how this came to be the norm in the U.S. health care system.

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Personality Can Change Over A Lifetime, And Usually For The Better

11:46am June 30, 2016

by Christopher Soto

Psychologists have been arguing for decades over whether personality traits are real or a myth. More recent research shows that traits are real, a scientist says, and have a big effect on behavior.

Glenn Baker, 44, stands in his South Side apartment that is paid for by a program of the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago.

A Hospital Offers Frequent ER Patients An Out — Free Housing

6:22pm June 29, 2016

by Miles Bryan

Glenn Baker is what hospitals call a superutilizer, coming into the ER again and again with multiple health issues made worse by homelessness. So a Chicago hospital decided to offer him a home.

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Virginia Anderlini (right) was the first private client to try out Dr. Sonya Kim's new virtual reality program for the elderly, and says she's eager to see more. Kim's handful of programs are still at the demo stage.

Virtual Reality Aimed At The Elderly Finds New Fans

5:29pm June 29, 2016

by Kara Platoni

Some doctors are finding that virtual travel — to Venice, a Hawaiian beach or Africa — can open new worlds to people confined by low mobility, dementia or depression.

Moraine Park is a grassy valley inside Rocky Mountain National Park.

Beyond Sightseeing: You'll Love The Sound Of America's Best Parks

12:51pm June 29, 2016

The National Park Service is racing to record soundscapes of each park that capture nature for the ear. "If we start to lose sounds of wilderness, we start to lose a piece of us," one scientist says.

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Suicidal thoughts are common in teenagers, and suicide is the second highest cause of death, after car crashes and other unintentional injuries.

Teen Bullies And Their Victims Both Face A Higher Risk Of Suicide

12:44pm June 28, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

For the first time the nation's pediatricians point to bullying, both online and in real life, as increasing the risk of suicide for teenagers.

To Help A Criminal Go Straight, Help Him Change How He Thinks

7:00am June 26, 2016

by Jack Bush

More than half of prisoners released from prison are rearrested within a year. Cognitive therapy can help prisoners change the thinking that gets them in trouble, like "I'll never back down."