Mental Health

Debbie Ziegler holds a photo of her late daughter, Brittany Maynard, while speaking to the media in September after the passage of California's

California To Permit Medically Assisted Suicide As Of June 9

7:30pm March 10, 2016

by Lisa Aliferis

Terminally ill Californians will legally be able to get medicine from doctors to end their own lives. The end of the state's special legislative session Thursday made it official.

A still from the Mutual Rescue film about Eric and Peety.

He Rescued A Dog. Then The Dog Rescued Him

5:13pm March 10, 2016

by Nancy Shute

Eric O'Grey was 51, obese and suffering from diabetes and high cholesterol when he took home an overweight shelter dog. Now the duo are headlining a campaign on how pets improve humans' lives.

Lack of focus at school might be ADHD. Or it might be a function of being young for that grade.

Youngest Kids In Class At Higher Risk Of ADHD Diagnosis

5:00pm March 10, 2016

by Angus Chen

But researchers say getting the diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean that these students have the disorder.

Health & Safety

Once Silent About Their Suffering, Making Baskets Helped Them Open Up

7:18pm March 09, 2016

by Sara Toth Stub

They came from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, seeking asylum in Israel. Many of them were raped and tortured. They didn't want to talk about it — until they came to a basket-making program.

Most people get treatment for depression from primary care doctors rather than specialists.

Doctors Often Fail To Treat Depression Like A Chronic Illness

6:28pm March 07, 2016

by Shefali Luthra

A single visit probably won't do the job if depression is the diagnosis. But primary care physicians often fall short on follow-up and education, a study finds. Time constraints are one big issue.

Stem Cell Pioneer: Nancy Reagan Brought Alzheimer's 'Into The Public Sphere'

4:30pm March 07, 2016

NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Dr. Hans Keirstead, a stem cell research pioneer, about former First Lady Nancy Reagan's legacy as an Alzheimer's research advocate.

Nat Batchelder and his mother, Susan Senator, in Foxborough, Mass.

Abuse Or The Flu? My Autistic Son Couldn't Tell Me What Was Wrong

5:11pm March 06, 2016

by Susan Senator

My heart fell when a counselor called to say he was worried something bad might have happened to Nat, my severely autistic 25-year-old son. Nat has trouble talking, and was teary. What should I do?

Could You Hack Your Brain To Get More Motivated?

6:27pm March 03, 2016

by Angus Chen

Volunteers learned to activate a part of the brain linked to motivation when they got feedback from an MRI. It's much more specific than older forms of biofeedback. But could it help change habits?

Dr. Jessie Gaeta, chief medical officer of Health Care for the Homeless at Boston Medical Center, stands in a conference room that will soon be converted to a place where patients high on heroin or other drugs can be safely monitored.

Boston's Heroin Users Will Soon Get A Safer Place To Be High

9:58am March 01, 2016

by Martha Bebinger

Set to open within a few weeks, the room will not be a place to inject drugs or get high, say health providers. Instead, a nurse will monitor heroin users as they come down from the drug's effects.

Queue Listen Now

John Castello decided to stop playing football when he learned about the risks of brain injury.

The Impact Of 'Concussion': High School Football Player Changes Course

9:24am February 27, 2016

John Castello had a full scholarship to play college football — but he turned it down. He says he was worried about the long-term consequences of playing football after seeing the movie Concussion.

Queue Listen Now