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Carrie Fisher Put Pen and Voice in Service of 'Bipolar Pride'
By BENEDICT CAREY DEC. 28, 2016 New York Times She was all there, all the time: exuberant in describing her mania, savage and tender when recalling her despair. And for decades, she gracefully wore the legacy of her legendary role as Princess Leia, worshiped by a generation of teenage girls as the lone female warrior... read more
Cures Act Gains Bipartisan Support That Eluded Obama Health Law
By ROBERT PEAR DEC. 8, 2016 New York Times WASHINGTON — With self-congratulatory zeal and smiles all around, huge bipartisan majorities in Congress have just passed legislation to speed the discovery of cures for killer diseases. At the same time, Republican leaders have been devising a strategy to undo the Affordable Care Act, which has... read more
By Pranay Sinha, MD Los Angeles Times December 8, 2016 I have been appalled by the swastikas, homophobic propaganda and lynching references mushrooming across the country, but the danger felt theoretical until recently, when I became a victim of hate speech from a patient. My patient's kidneys were failing and we needed to know... read more
House Passes Major Mental Health Legislation
American Psychiatric Association December 1, 2016 The House of Representatives last night passed the 21st Century Cures Act by a vote of 392-26. This wide-ranging, $6 billion bipartisan health legislation includes significant mental health components and had the support of the Obama administration. The new act embeds medical leadership in the Substance Abuse and... read more
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Addiction Is A Chronic Brain Disease, Not A Moral Failing
Erin Schumaker Nov. 17, 2016 Senior Healthy Living Editor, The Huffington Post In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Luther Terry issued a landmark report on tobacco and health that changed the course of American history, spurring the decline of smoking in the United States. More than 50 years later, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy hopes... read more
Along the Autism Spectrum, a Path Through Campus Life
By JAN HOFFMAN Nov. 19, 2016 New York Times BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Crosby J. Gardner has never had a girlfriend. Now 20 and living for the first time in a dorm here at Western Kentucky University, he has designed a fast-track experiment to find her. He ticks off the math. Two meals a day... read more
Bruce Springsteen, Kid Cudi and others shed light on depression
by Libby Hill Los Angeles Times October 10, 2016 From stars talking about their own struggles with mental health to TV shows and films dealing frankly with disorders such as depression, it seems that pop culture is actively engaging in the messy realities of psychological problems. In the past, mental disorders were often depicted... read more
A Single Concussion May Have Lasting Impact
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS New York Times OCT. 5, 2016 A single concussion experienced by a child or teenager may have lasting repercussions on mental health and intellectual and physical functioning throughout adulthood, and multiple head injuries increase the risks of later problems, according to one of the largest, most elaborate studies to date of... read more
National Suicide Prevention Week
Today marks the start of National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and the second leading cause among 15- to 34-year-olds. Although not all suicides are preventable, treatment and support can save lives. For more information, go to www.afsp.org and https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml If you know someone in... read more
Four years ago, Devan Fuentes, 23, was hospitalized with psychotic symptoms after months of heavy marijuana use. He believes pot exacerbated an underlying disorder; mental health experts caution that daily frequent pot use is not healthful for developing brains. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times) Robin Abcarian Los Angeles Times September 2, 2016 ... read more