Mental Health

German Government May Say 'Nein' To After Work Emails

2:46pm December 17, 2014

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

In a country that strives to protect work-life balance, there are calls to ban employers from sending work email after business hours. Some big companies are already doing that.

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25 Years Ago, 'Darkness Visible' Broke Ground Detailing Depression

11:29am December 17, 2014

Renee Montagne talks to writer Andrew Solomon, who has chronicled his own battle with depression, about how William Styron's work opened up discussions of mental illness.

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Making and taking a hit chest to chest, instead of skull to skull, is easier to remember if you're not wearing a helmet, say University of New Hampshire Wildcat football players.

Football Players Drill Without Helmets To Curb Concussions

7:49pm December 11, 2014

by Jack Rodolico

The idea, according to a scientist at New Hampshire University, is to teach each player "rugby awareness," so he'll be more likely to keep his head out of harm's way. Helmets off, eyes up.

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Nursing Homes Rarely Penalized For Oversedating Patients

6:26pm December 10, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

An NPR probe finds many nursing homes are still prescribing schizophrenia drugs to calm dementia patients — despite FDA warnings — but only 2 percent of excessive-medication cases result in penalties.

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This Nursing Home Calms Troubling Behavior Without Risky Drugs

5:34pm December 10, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

The staff's goal was to reduce the prescription of antipsychotic drugs by 20 percent. In the first year, they cut use by 97 percent. How? By addressing the real reasons for agitation and aggression.

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Examples of a family drawing assessment: A drawing from a child scored with minimal indicators of family dysfunction (top), and one from a child scored with elevated levels of family dysfunction (bottom).

Kids' Drawings Speak Volumes About Home

12:10pm December 08, 2014

by Will Huntsberry

A first-grader's quick doodle can tell researchers plenty about what's happening — or not happening — at home.

Health & Safety

Texas Death Row Case Draws Attention To Mentally Ill Convicts

7:41am December 03, 2014

by Wade Goodwyn

On Wednesday, Texas is scheduled to execute Scott Panetti for killing his in-laws. Panetti is mentally ill, and there are last-minute efforts underway to halt his execution.

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Meghan, 23, began experiencing hallucinations at 19. "Driving home, cars' headlights turned into eyes. The grills on the cars turned into mouths and none of them looked happy. It would scare the crap out of me," Meghan says.

Health & Safety

Halting Schizophrenia Before It Starts

8:20pm December 02, 2014

by Amy Standen

Schizophrenia typically starts in the late teens or early 20s. But if you could stop that first psychotic break, could you stop the mental illness in its tracks? Some doctors think so.

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Your Adult Siblings May Be The Secret To A Long, Happy Life

9:03am December 02, 2014

by Robin Marantz Henig

Sibling relationships are the longest-lasting family ties we have, and they're among the most likely to bring health and happiness as we age. Think on that when your brother grabs the wishbone.

Those Phone-Obsessed Teenagers Aren't As Lonely As You Think

4:58pm November 26, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

Teenagers may not need as much face-to-face interaction as earlier generations to feel connected. And that may explain why a study finds they're not feeling as lonely, either.