Mental Health

Aspen Baker speaking at TED Women about how to be "pro-voice."

What's A Better Way To Talk About Abortion?

9:20am April 22, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

The strong emotions sparked by abortion leave little room for thoughtful debate. To cut through the tension, Aspen Baker says we should calmly tell and listen to stories about women who had abortions.

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Part of your brain doesn't sleep as deeply when you're in a new place.

Half Your Brain Stands Guard When Sleeping In A New Place

6:46pm April 21, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

No wonder we don't feel rested after a first night in a new place: Half of our brain has stayed alert while the other half enjoyed deeper sleep, a study finds. We really have been half-asleep.

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A small island sits in the middle of Kangeq's old harbor.

Health & Safety

The Arctic Suicides: It's Not The Dark That Kills You

5:39pm April 21, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Greenland has the world's highest suicide rate. And teen boys are at the highest risk.

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Demographers can use average life expectancy of a population as a clue to underlying changes in health and culture.

Life Expectancy Drops For White Women, Increases For Black Men

9:50am April 20, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Suicide, drug abuse and alcohol have started to shorten the lives of white women, a U.S. report on data from 2013 to 2014 suggests. Life-expectancy for many black men went up from 71.8 years to 72.2.

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Siblings Sangeeta (from left), Sunil and Ravi Tripathi. Sunil went missing weeks before the Boston Marathon, and media outlets misidentified him as one of the bombing suspects.

How Social Media Smeared A Missing Student As A Terrorism Suspect

11:00pm April 18, 2016

by NPR Staff

The documentary Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi explores what happened after a tweet misidentified a Brown University student as one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

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High school students in Tanzania gather in a Mental Health Listening Club — first comes the soap opera, then the chance to ask questions about topics like depression.

Health & Safety

This Radio Soap Opera Isn't Your Typical Tearjerker

7:00am April 17, 2016

by Joanne Silberner

It sounds like another melodramatic show: pregnant teen heroine with a boyfriend who's a substance abuser. But there's a lot more to this soap.

Political Columnist Ron Fournier Talks New Book 'Love That Boy'

10:39am April 16, 2016

Tyler Fournier has Asperger's. His dad, Ron Fournier, columnist for The Atlantic and National Journal, tells NPR's Scott Simon about what he's learned from his son and his new book, "Love That Boy."

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A woman speaks at a support group for residents of a community in Bong County, Liberia, who are suffering the psychological aftermath of the Ebola crisis. International Medical Corps set up the group to complement the medical services it has offered to pa

A Son In Chains. A Depressed Mom. Here's What Helped

7:44pm April 15, 2016

by Nurith Aizenman

Two real-life stories show why funding for mental health care is critical — in every country.

When Amanda Lipp had an episode of psychosis, her mom, Pam, struggled to find an open bed in a California hospital.

A Dearth Of Psychiatric Hospital Beds For California Patients In Crisis

1:20pm April 14, 2016

by Jenny Gold

The state is facing a serious shortage. Making matters worse, there's no system in place to help people find a scarce bed in an emergency.

That out-of-body experience is happening in your brain.

How LSD Makes Your Brain One With The Universe

12:14pm April 13, 2016

by Angus Chen

Researchers are starting to look at the therapeutic possibilities of psychedelic drugs. A sensation that the self is merging with the world could be due to changes in brain connections, a study says.