Mental Health

(Top, left) In an exercise designed to open up the conversation between veterans and teenagers, Navy veteran Jamal McPherson waits for others to ask him questions. (Top, right) Veteran Mikhail Dasovich, who served as a Marine in Sangin in Afghanistan, sha

Chicago Teens And Combat Veterans Join Forces To Process Trauma

5:51pm January 25, 2016

by Audie Cornish

In parts of Chicago, violence is unavoidable, with effects similar to being in a war zone. The Urban Warriors program connects kids with veterans who may understand what they've been through.

Queue Listen Now

The routines that students learn at Dance for PD classes in Venice, Calif., can be quite challenging, instructors say.

Dance Returns The 'Joy Of Movement' To People With Parkinson's

8:14am January 23, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

Many struggle with tremors and balance much of the time, but when the music starts, these people dance. It gives them joy — body and soul. Scientists say dance might have lasting brain benefits, too.

It's still not clear how marijuana use affects health long term.

Study Erred In Finding No Link Between Teen Pot Use And Psychosis

5:39pm January 21, 2016

by Angus Chen

The American Psychological Association corrected a study that found no health problems from teen boys' pot smoking. It had contradicted other studies that found increased risk of psychotic disorders.

Dr. Hans Asperger with a young boy at the Children's Clinic at the University of Vienna in the 1930s.

Was Dr. Asperger A Nazi? The Question Still Haunts Autism

2:43pm January 20, 2016

by Steve Silberman

Hans Asperger identified autism as a spectrum of disorders in the 1930s, but his work was ignored for decades because he went on to work under the Nazis. Research and treatment suffered as a result.

In researching their book, Caren Zucker and John Donvan tracked down Donald Gray Triplett (center), the first person officially diagnosed with autism. Now in his 80s, Triplett has had a long, happy life, Donvan says, maybe partly because his hometown embr

'In A Different Key' Traces History And Politics Of Autism

2:13pm January 20, 2016

by NPR Staff

Authors John Donvan and Caren Zucker say parents have been "unsung heroes" in spurring more research on autism, and in getting many more kids out of institutions and into schools.

Queue Listen Now

The effects of opioid abuse can go unnoticed at work.

Opioid Abuse Takes A Toll On Workers And Their Employers

1:50pm January 20, 2016

by Yuki Noguchi

Many employers who test for drugs don't screen employees for opioids. Yet opioid abuse is linked to problems with workplace productivity and safety.

Queue Listen Now

Can't Focus? It Might Be Undiagnosed Adult ADHD

6:16pm January 18, 2016

by Patti Neighmond

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is most commonly diagnosed in children. But older adults may find that what they had worried was early dementia is actually ADHD.

Queue Listen Now

The Hammetts smooth out stray strands of hair on Francis' head.

After The Diagnosis: How Families Experience Autism

8:33am January 17, 2016

by NPR Staff

Raising a child with autism can test families financially and emotionally. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with parents of children with autism, and a young woman who was diagnosed later in life.

Trina Dalziel/Illustration Works/Getty Images

For Teenagers, Adult-Sized Opioid Addiction Treatment Doesn't Fit

7:33am January 15, 2016

by Heidi Benson

Teenage brains are more susceptible to drug abuse, but it's often hard to find treatment. It's even harder to find evidence-based treatment designed for youth. But that's starting to change.

Anatomy Of Addiction: How Heroin And Opioids Hijack The Brain

7:15pm January 11, 2016

by Jack Rodolico

Roughly 2.5 million Americans are addicted to heroin and opioids like Oxycontin. Researchers say addiction takes over the brain's limbic reward system, impairing decision making, judgment and memory.

Queue Listen Now