Recent posts
Escondido mother Peggy O’Neil Nosti three years ago created the Blue Dot Project, a fundraising campaign featuring blue circles in support of maternal mental health. (Don Boomer) by Pam Kragen May 16, 2016 After Peggy O'Neil Nosti gave birth to the youngest of her three children, postpartum anxiety kept her from eating, sleeping and... read more
A comprehensive analysis of federal spending data published this week in Health Affairs found that mental health disorders accounted for an estimated $201 billion in health care costs in 2013—far exceeding the cost of all other medical conditions in the United States (heart conditions and trauma, which came in second and third, accounted for $147... read more
San Diego officials join the move for a study on suicide-prevention barriers on Coronado Bridge
The San Diego-Coronado Bridge has been the scene of hundreds of suicides. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) by David Garrick April 27, 2016 Since the San Diego-Coronado Bridge opened in 1969, the landmark two-mile span has been the site of more than 360 suicides. And the numbers have surged over the last... read more
Depression in Preschool Changes the Brain, Study Shows
Alexandra Sifferlin TIME.com Dec. 16, 2015 A new study adds to growing evidence that depression can affect even very young children Only in the past two decades has depression in children been taken seriously. Now, it’s becoming clear that kids as young as three can have major depression. That’s due largely to the work of... read more
Living With the Parents I'm Losing to Alzheimer's
As told to PAULA SPAN March 4, 2016 New York Times Credit Mark Makela for The New York Times In 2010, Elizabeth Wolf, then 30, was living in Vermont, working for a nonprofit and happily exploring new pursuits, from raising chickens to contra dancing. But after several disturbing phone calls from and about her parents,... read more
By Jenny Gold March 11, 2016 California Healthline Pam and Amanda Lipp in Fair Oaks, California, on December 15, 2015. It took eight years for Amanda Lipp to get adequate care for her bipolar disorder. Now, she and her mom, Pam, are sharing their story to fight stigma around mental illness so others don't have... read more
"Juanicas" at the San Diego Latin Film Festival
Juanicas is an intimate portrait of a Mexican immigrant family in Quebec affected by mental illness. Using material shot over almost 10 years, the filmmaker, Karina Garcia Casanova, documents her complex relationship with her mother and brother, both suffering from bipolar disorder. She starts filming when Juan, her brother, returns to live in Canada after... read more
People Who Use Marijuana May Be More Likely to Develop Other Substance Use Disorders
American Psychiatric Association News Alert February 17, 2016 A prospective analysis of the results of a survey of U.S. adults suggests marijuana use may be associated with an increased risk for developing alcohol and drug disorders, but not mood or anxiety disorders, according to a study published today in JAMA Psychiatry. “Our findings suggest... read more
An interview with film director Paul Dalio: Touched With Fire
By: Dinah Miller, MD Clinical Psychiatry News February 11, 2016 In early December, I was fortunate to be invited to a film screening of “Touched With Fire,” starring Katie Holmes and Luke Kirby. The movie is about two young poets with bipolar disorder who meet and fall in love while on a psychiatric unit.... read more
Zika Crisis: What is Microcephaly?
By Ariana Eunjung Cha February 2, 2016 Washington Post The term refers to a rare neurological condition in which children have unusually small heads. In many cases it also means a baby's brain is smaller and may not have developed properly. The condition can be caused by hundreds of factors, both genetic and environmental.... read more