Mental Health

Robyn Adcock (left), a University of California, San Francisco pain relief specialist, gently guides Jessica Greenfield to acupressure points on her son's foot and leg that have helped relieve his chronic pain.

Pain Rescue Team Helps Seriously Ill Kids Cope In Terrible Times

12:41pm August 05, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

An interdisciplinary team in San Francisco uses acupressure, massage, counseling and other methods, as well as medicine, to help kids get relief from chronic pain. But such pediatric centers are rare.

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Sabine Doebel: How Can We Make Better Decisions To Help Us Live Better Lives?

10:12am August 02, 2019

by NPR and TED Staff

Ever wish your brain just ... worked better? Developmental cognitive scientist Sabine Doebel explains what we can do to improve our executive function to break bad habits and create better ones.

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A Guatemalan teen asylum-seeker (left), who isn't able to hear or speak, signs with his mom in Florida. He was brusquely separated from her and held in a shelter for nearly three months, unable to readily communicate, according to a civil rights complaint

Homeland Security's Civil Rights Unit Lacks Power To Protect Migrant Kids

9:00am August 02, 2019

A former official in the civil rights office says the unit seems afraid to offend U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE. Meanwhile, the complaints of abuses of families continue to pile up.

A rock of crystal methamphetamine lifted from a suspect in Orange County, Calif. This fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects to begin collecting more local information about the rising use of meth, cocaine and other stimulants.

Seizures Of Methamphetamine Are Surging In The U.S.

11:40pm July 29, 2019

by Martha Bebinger

The amount of meth seized in the U.S. more than doubled from 2017 to 2018. That translates to lots more meth, along with cocaine and other stimulants, on the streets — and likely more deaths.

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg shares laugh with her husband, Martin, at an event at Columbia Law School in 2003. Martin Ginsburg, or "Marty," passed away in 2010.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Love And Other Things

1:23pm July 27, 2019

by Domenico Montanaro

"I miss him every morning," the Supreme Court justice said of her late husband and booster, Marty, in an interview with NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Sheri Adler at an American Behavioral Health Systems office in Wenatchee, Wash. At age 72, Adler attempted to take her own life.

Isolated And Struggling, Many Seniors Are Turning To Suicide

8:03am July 27, 2019

The golden years are thought to be a well-earned, carefree time in life. But adults 65 and older now account for almost 1 in 5 suicides in America.

The mood boost of talking to strangers may seem fleeting, but the research on well-being, scientists say, suggests that a happy life is made up of a high frequency of positive events. Even small positive experiences — chatting with a stranger in an elev

Health & Safety

Want To Feel Happier Today? Try Talking To A Stranger

10:16am July 26, 2019

by Paul Nicolaus

Happiness, says one researcher, is the sum of many positive moments throughout the day. Something as simple as a friendly chat in the elevator can boost your mood. So put down your phone and try it.

Sleep scientists say the power of a warm bedtime bath to trigger sleepiness likely has to do, paradoxically, with cooling the body's core temperature.

A Warm Bedtime Bath Can Help You Cool Down And Sleep Better

12:34pm July 25, 2019

by Susie Neilson

Research suggests a warm bath or shower an hour or two before bedtime can help you unwind and fall asleep faster. Why? It will help lower your core temperature, and that's a circadian sleep signal.

Different parts of the brain aren't always in the same stage of sleep at the same time, notes neurologist and author Guy Leschziner. When this happens, an individual might order a pizza or go out for a drive — while technically still being fast asleep.

From Insomnia To Sexsomnia, Unlocking The 'Secret World' Of Sleep

8:09am July 24, 2019

by Dave Davies

Neurologist Guy Leschziner, author of The Nocturnal Brain, says the brain can be in different sleep stages at once — which explains why people sometimes walk, eat and even have sex when sleeping.

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(From left) Sam Adamson, Lori Riddle, Hailey Hardcastle, and Derek Evans pose at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. The teens suggested legislation to allow students to take "mental health days" as they would sick days.

Health & Safety

Feeling Blue? Oregon Students Allowed To Take 'Mental Health Days'

6:28pm July 22, 2019

by Dani Matias

The state, which has one of the higher suicide rates in the U.S., hopes the law will combat stigma around mental illness. Four teen activists encourage others to "admit when they're struggling."