Recent posts
Peace Corps Sued Over Mental Health Policy
The New York Times By Ellen Barry Sept. 27, 2023 Applicants have challenged the Peace Corps practice of rescinding invitations to applicants on the basis of mental health conditions. Lea Iodice was thrilled to hear that the Peace Corps had accepted her application and was sending her to Senegal as a community health care worker.... read more
HEAT’S HIDDEN RISK
The Washington Post By Shannon Osaka, Erin Patrick O'Connor and John Muyskens Sept. 6, 2023 PHOENIX On an isolated street a few steps from the looming, cactus-peppered slopes of South Mountain, there was nowhere to hide from the heat. It was one o’clock on a Thursday in July 2022, and temperatures had already climbed to... read more
After the blaze, coping with ‘fire brain’
The Washington Post By Marlene Cimons and Kim Bellware August 20, 2023 Research suggests that survivors of the Maui wildfires face a long road of physical and cognitive challenges after the trauma and physical effects of fire and smoke particles. Many people escaped the deadly Maui wildfires — some in harrowing fashion — but their... read more
More obituaries acknowledge suicide as openness on mental health grows
The Washington Post By Debby Waldman August 20, 2023 When Deborah and Warren Blum’s 16-year-old died by suicide in November 2021, they went into shock. For two days, the grief-stricken Los Angeles couple didn’t sleep. But when it came time to write a death notice, Deborah Blum was clearheaded: In a heartfelt tribute to her smart, funny,... read more
Opinion: My daughter died living on the streets. Her mental illness kept her from accepting help.
The San Diego Union Tribune By Lynn Solorzano July 31, 2023 We lost our daughter Ashley due to mental illness, homelessness and drug use. This is her story. Ashley was born and raised in San Diego. She was fiercely independent, rebellious, impulsive and moody. She didn’t listen to anyone and marched to the beat of... read more
The Collateral Damage of A.D.H.D. Drug Shortages
The New York Times By Christina Caron Aug. 15, 2023 As a new school year begins, parents and doctors find medication shortages are leading to declines in learning and self-esteem. In the spring, Riana Shaw Robinson learned that her 11-year-old son, Madison, had sprinted out of class to chase a squirrel through his school’s courtyard... read more
The New York Times By Christina Jewett and Ellen Gabler March 13, 2023 Nearly a year after a sweeping opioid settlement imposed new requirements on the companies that provide medications to pharmacies, patients across the United States are having difficulty obtaining drugs to treat many conditions, including anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and addiction. The... read more
APA Speaks Out Against Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action in Higher Education
American Psychiatric Association June 29, 2023 In a statement today, APA said that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina will “undermine the ability of colleges, universities, and medical schools to build a workforce of health care professionals that can effectively... read more
The Washington Post By Luis Velarde July 14, 2023 Here’s how social media, the focus of a surgeon general’s advisory in May, is affecting minds and contributing to a mental health crisis in young people Social media has redefined human connection, especially if you’re part of the millennial or Gen Z generation. It is so... read more
The New York Times By Annie Sneed June 13, 2022 Here’s what the evidence says about what works (and what doesn’t). St. John’s wort “promotes a positive mood.” Valerian root reduces “levels of anxiety and stress.” Lavender oil is “calming for body and mind.” If you are among the tens of millions of people in... read more