Mental Health

Harvard Psychology Professor Discusses How Trauma Affects Memory

7:14pm September 18, 2018

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with clinical psychologist Richard McNally about memory retention following traumatic events in light of the sexual assault accusations brought against Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Queue Listen Now

Physicians face long hours, frustrating paperwork and sometimes difficult patients. But researchers aren't so clear on whether burnout is the right word to describe their problems.

Health & Safety

Doctors Today May Be Miserable, But Are They 'Burnt Out'?

12:30pm September 18, 2018

by Mara Gordon

There's a lively debate going on in the medical community about physician burnout. Who has it? How bad is it? Is it even real?

Dessa went looking for the source of love in her brain, and then turned to the frontiers of neuroscience to try and heal a broken heart.

This Rapper Tried To Use Neuroscience To Get Over Her Ex

11:01am September 18, 2018

Dessa is a singer and writer from Minneapolis who spent years trying to fall out of love and get over her ex. Nothing seemed to help — until she visited a research lab for a brain scan.

Nearly 62 percent of respondents had at least one ACE and a quarter reported three or more. The remaining respondents had at least two ACEs, including 16 percent with four or more such experiences.

Childhood Trauma And Its Lifelong Health Effects More Prevalent Among Minorities

2:33pm September 17, 2018

by Tara Haelle

The largest study of its kind shows a high prevalence of adverse childhood experiences — or ACEs — across the population, but especially among some vulnerable groups.

Health & Safety

To Manage Dementia Well, Start With The Caregivers

12:38pm September 15, 2018

by Lauren Gravitz

A new approach to helping Alzheimer's and dementia patients starts with training caregivers, teaching them to respond to their loved ones' needs with insight and creativity.

For Novelist John Green, OCD Is Like An 'Invasive Weed' Inside His Mind

1:41pm September 14, 2018

by Terry Gross

The Turtles All The Way Down author says OCD "starts out with one little thought, and then slowly that becomes the only thought that you're able to have." Originally broadcast Oct. 19, 2017.

Queue Listen Now

Barb Williamson runs several sobriety houses in Pennsylvania, commercially run homes where residents support each other in their recovery from opioid addiction. Initially, she says, she saw the use of Suboxone or methadone by residents as "a crutch," and

Many 'Recovery Houses' Won't Let Residents Use Medicine To Quit Opioids

5:42am September 12, 2018

by Nina Feldman

Evidence shows the drugs methadone and buprenorphine can help people recover from opioid use disorder by reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. So why do many sobriety facilities ban their use?

Baby boomers who use marijuana seem to be using it more often than in previous years, a recent survey finds — 5.7 percent of respondents ages 50 to 64 said they'd tried it in the past month. The drug is also gaining popularity among people in their 70s

More Older Americans Are Turning To Marijuana

5:00am September 12, 2018

by Mara Gordon

As marijuana gains popularity among people 65 and older, geriatricians call for more research on how it affects elderly patients. Shifts in metabolism as we age can intensify any drug's side effects.

A 17-year-old male bonobo eats while his son watches in the Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary, Democratic Republic of Congo.

What's Mine Is Yours, Sort Of: Bonobos And The Tricky Evolutionary Roots Of Sharing

7:05pm September 11, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Bonobos are much more likely than common chimpanzees to share their food, a study suggests. But researchers who study sharing say human kids are more helpful and cooperative than either species.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University are studying barn owls to understand how the brain maintains focus.

Scientists Study Barn Owls To Understand Why People With ADHD Struggle To Focus

5:24pm September 11, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

Research on the brains of barn owls suggests that attention problems like ADHD may involve a brain circuit that usually helps us ignore distractions.

Queue Listen Now