Mental Health

Migrant children who travel to the United States to be reunited with a parent often make the difficult journey alone. But reunification with a parent after years of separation rarely goes as smoothly as they expect.

Migrant Kids Survive Hardship To Reunite With Parents. Then What?

7:48am November 17, 2018

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Most children moving to the U.S. from Central America come without adults, hoping to join parents or family already living in the U.S. To succeed, psychologists say, these families need support.

Ingrid Fetell Lee: How Can We Design More Joy Into Our Surroundings?

9:22am November 16, 2018

Ingrid Fetell Lee discovered that certain elements--like bright color, abundance, round shapes--are universally joyful. She says designing more joyful spaces can actually change how we feel and act.

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Health & Safety

Simone Giertz: What Can Making Useless Robots Teach Us About Joy?

9:20am November 16, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

Simone Giertz is an inventor of useless robots. She finds joy and freedom in learning to build machines that are meant to fail. She shares that joy with millions through her YouTube channel.

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David Baron: Why Should You Experience A Total Solar Eclipse?

9:20am November 16, 2018

The moment David Baron saw his first total solar eclipse in 1998, he was hooked. He's spent the last 20 years chasing them across the globe—all for a few minutes of joy, wonder and awe.

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Clinicians and first responders who care for victims of gun violence can suffer what's called vicarious trauma.

Health & Safety

How Doctors And Nurses Cope With The Human Toll Of Gun Violence

2:20pm November 14, 2018

by Mara Gordon

Researchers are trying to understand how exposure to trauma cases affects clinicians and how they can get the mental health care they may need. For now, there are more questions than answers.

'Insomnia' Is Both A Celebration And Lament Of Sleeplessness

11:55am November 14, 2018

by Heller McAlpin

Marina Benjamin's book is more impressionistic and personal than scientific: Don't look here for an explanation of the chemistry or biology of nocturnal wakefulness.

Helping a spouse or parent who has dementia steer clear of hazards can include ridding the home of all guns.

Firearms And Dementia: How Do You Convince A Loved One To Give Up Their Guns?

7:23am November 13, 2018

by Melissa Block

It's estimated that nearly half of all Americans over 65 own a gun or live with someone who does. And 7 million in the U.S. have dementia, a number that's expected to double within two decades.

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Researchers followed a group of kids from childhood into adulthood to track the link between trauma in early life and adult mental health.

Should Childhood Trauma Be Treated As A Public Health Crisis?

4:22pm November 09, 2018

by Erin Blakemore

New research highlights the link between childhood trauma and mental illness and addiction in adulthood, leading some researchers to call it an issue as pressing as any infectious disease.

Mourners comfort each other Thursday during a vigil at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza for the victims of the mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Another Mass Shooting? 'Compassion Fatigue' Is A Natural Reaction.

3:00pm November 09, 2018

As the incidents of mass shootings in the U.S. occur, some people are starting to feel numbed by them. Psychologists says this is normal.

The health and economic concerns of rural Americans. A webcast presented by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NPR. Noon to 1 p.m., Friday, November 9, 2018.

Health & Safety

Forum: The Health And Economic Concerns Of Rural Americans

1:13pm November 09, 2018

by Joe Neel

Join us for a live discussion of major issues facing rural America, based on a recent poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.