June, 2018

Back from the brink of suicide, they want to save others

By drwong
June 25, 2018

CNN By Wayne Drash and Jacqueline Howard, CNN Video by Tawanda Scott Sambou and Tiara Chiaramonte, CNN June 15, 2018   (CNN) Their minds can drift to that dark place, but they hide it well. Walking among us, they laugh when really they want to cry. They sometimes feel as if they have nothing to...   read more


Mental Health Services: How to get treatment if you can't afford it

By drwong
June 18, 2018

NBC News By Nicole Spector Jun 5, 2018             As the number of people diagnosed with mental health issues such as depression rises to new highs, the need for medical services to treat them is growing too. Approximately 56 percent of American adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment....   read more


Sex and Drugs Decline Among Teens, but Depression and Suicidal Thoughts Grow

By drwong
June 18, 2018

The New York Times By Jan Hoffman June 14, 2018             One in seven high school students reported misusing prescription opioids, one of several disturbing results in a nationwide survey of teenagers that revealed a growing sense of fear and despair among youth in the United States. The numbers of teenagers...   read more


What To Do When a Loved One Is Severely Depressed

By drwong
June 15, 2018

The New York Times By Heather Murphy June 7, 2018             Reports of Kate Spade’s suicide and struggle with depression instantly transformed her from symbol of polished prep to a blunt reminder that suffering affects all types. Three days later we woke to the news that another beloved figure, Anthony Bourdain, had...   read more


Mental health experts concerned about 'Suicide contagion' after deaths of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade

By drwong
June 15, 2018

Los Angeles Times By Melissa Etehad June 10, 2018           When news broke that celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain took his own life just three days after fashion icon Kate Spade killed herself, mental health experts raised concerns about the extensive news coverage that was sure to follow and how that...   read more


The Insatiable and Unknowable Anthony Bourdain

By drwong
June 15, 2018

The New York Times By Frank Bruni June 8, 2018           Anthony Bourdain devoured the world. That’s not hyperbole. It’s not even metaphor. There was no place that he wasn’t curious to explore, no food that he wasn’t determined to try, no cap on his hunger and no ceiling, or so...   read more


Kate Spade and the Illness Hidden With a Smile

By drwong
June 15, 2018

The New York Times By Daphne Merkin June 7, 2018             Suicide, no matter how well we know a person, usually comes as a shock, even a violation, putting the lie to our conviction that existence is to be cherished. The fact that taking one’s own life can exist on...   read more


APA Reacts to CDC Report on Uptick in Suicides Across United States

By drwong
June 15, 2018

American Psychiatric Association June 8, 2018           A report released yesterday by the CDC found suicides rates increased significantly in most states between 1999 and 2016, with 25 states experiencing increases of greater than 30%. The report also suggested that more than half of people who died by suicide did not have...   read more


Good luck, graduates. As you enter college, dream big, have fun, and don't be afraid to talk about mental illness

By drwong
June 15, 2018

Los Angeles Times By Robin Abcarian June 5, 2018             Hakeem Howard, a senior at Quince Orchard High School in suburban Maryland, was in his first-period class one morning listening to announcements when he heard that the school was looking for graduation speakers and valedictorians. Grade-wise, he told me, he...   read more


Firearm Seizure Laws Appear to Reduce Firearm-Related Suicides, Study Shows

By drwong
June 13, 2018

American Psychiatric Association June 5, 2018           States that have laws allowing police to temporarily seize firearms from people deemed to be at risk of danger to self or others have experienced a decrease in the number of suicides involving firearms, according to a report in Psychiatric Services in Advance. In recent years,...   read more