Mental Health

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Investors See Big Opportunities In Opioid Addiction Treatment

5:06pm June 10, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Opioid addiction treatment is a growth market, and private equity firms are buying up treatment centers and chains. But it's too soon to say how this might affect access to care and quality.

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Dr. Christian Macedonia led the military's Gray Team of doctors and scientists charged with finding the "ground truth" about traumatic brain injuries. Now, he's a maternal and fetal health specialist at Lancaster General Health's Women and Babies Hospital

An Army Buddy's Call For Help Sends A Scientist On A Brain Injury Quest

5:34pm June 08, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Harvard researcher Kit Parker built his academic career studying the heart. But Parker, also an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, switched his focus to figuring out how IED blasts damage the brain.

Access to mental health care can be especially tough for new immigrants.

Students Fill A Gap In Mental Health Care For Immigrants

5:57pm June 07, 2016

by Michael Tomsic

Latinos who have recently arrived in the U.S. often have a hard time getting access to health care, including mental health care. Several universities are enlisting graduate students to help.

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Amina Ali Nkeki, 19, is one of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014. She was found last month wandering in the Sambisa Forest, a Boko Haram stronghold, with her 4-month-old baby.

Health & Safety

The Long Road Back From Boko Haram

1:34pm June 07, 2016

by Diane Cole

How will 19-year-old Amina Ali Nkeki remake her life? The experiences of former captives suggest what might help — and what will not.

Giselle is pursuing a career in family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. For her, hiding her problems with anxiety and depression was not an option.

A Med Student Decides To Be Upfront About Her Mental Issues

6:52pm June 01, 2016

by Amanda Aronczyk

When Giselle decided to apply to medical school, people told her to hide the fact that she has struggled with anxiety, depression and a suicide attempt. She thinks it will help her be a better doctor.

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A chalkboard "bucket list" stirred imaginations and got people talking at an Indianapolis festival designed to help make conversations about death easier.

Death Talk Is Cool At This Festival

9:54am May 29, 2016

by Jake Harper

How to make thinking about death less somber? Hold a festival! Indianapolis did. Through art, film and book talks, residents explored everything from bucket lists to advance directives and cremation.

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Health & Safety

After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, She Channeled Her Ups And Downs Into Texts

8:16am May 28, 2016

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Natalie Sun about her project, textingwithcancer.com. The website won a Webby award, and documents her pessimism and optimism while undergoing chemotherapy.

The Probuphine implant delivers medication for six months. It helps reduce cravings for people with opioid use disorder.

Long-Acting Opioid Treatment Could Be Available In A Month

5:35pm May 27, 2016

by Martha Bebinger

The FDA has approved the Probuphine implant for medication-assisted therapy for opioid addiction. It lasts for six months, compared to daily pills. But it also will be more expensive.

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Asking Mom: 'Did You Know I Was Depressed In High School?'

4:32pm May 25, 2016

by Kenny Malone

Telling your parents you have mental health issues can be tough, even if you are a trained psychotherapist. Add in another culture and there's even more room for apprehension and misunderstanding.

Inventing A Machine That Spits Out Drugs In A Whole New Way

3:36pm May 23, 2016

by Martha Bebinger

A refrigerator-sized machine could someday make lifesaving drugs on site when outbreaks occur or where medicine is in short supply, like on the battlefield.