Category: mental health

As Eating Disorders Spike During Pandemic, Rural Treatment Options Lag

More people have visited emergency departments for eating disorders during the pandemic. Those living in rural areas have limited pathways to treatment.

It’s Not Just Doctors and Nurses. Veterinarians Are Burning Out, Too.

Empathy overload and compassion fatigue contribute to the mental health woes of veterinarians, who are more likely than other Americans to attempt suicide. And with 23 million families adopting pets during the pandemic, vets’ stress burden is no doubt heavier now.

Profit Strategy: Psychiatric Facilities Prioritize Out-of-State Kids

Nearly all psychiatric residential treatment centers for children in South Carolina operate as for-profit businesses — some backed by private equity — and many prioritize out-of-state kids because it’s better for the bottom line. The scramble to secure treatment for children and teenagers has become so competitive that South Carolina will spend millions more each year as of April 1 to keep out-of-state patients from flooding the state’s treatment facilities.

It’s Your Choice: You Can Change Your Views of Aging and Improve Your Life

Becca Levy of Yale University talks with “Navigating Aging” columnist Judith Graham about how people can alter ingrained perceptions of aging — which are often formed unconsciously and are unrecognized.

California Handed Its Medicaid Drug Program to One Company. Then Came a Corporate Takeover.

The company awarded the state’s Medi-Cal Rx contract was taken over by another company, Centene. That left the state with a contractor it didn’t pick — one that has been accused of overbilling nine other state Medicaid programs and is now under investigation by California.

Losing Sleep Over the Pandemic? Work Flexibility May Be a Boon for Night Owls’ Health

Many sleep scientists maintain that people who prefer to stay up late could improve their mental and physical health by synchronizing their natural sleep cycles with workday demands. The flexible work schedules that came with covid’s work-from-home trend, according to one new study, backs up this idea.

Black Students Experiencing Racism on Campus Lack Mental Health Support

Black students at many predominantly white colleges are speaking out about the racial hostility they’ve experienced, which contributes to depression, elevated stress levels, and anxiety. But the students are often not getting the mental health help they need on campus.

Covid and Schizophrenia: Why This Deadly Mix Can Deepen Knowledge of the Brain Disease

Recent studies from around the world have found that people with schizophrenia are as much as five times as likely to die from covid-19 as the general population. Scientists think the findings suggest schizophrenia is not just a disease of the brain, but also a disease of the immune system.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The ACA Turns 12

Although its fate was in doubt more than a few times, the Affordable Care Act turned 12 this week. Year 13 could be pivotal in determining how many Americans receive ACA health insurance, and at what price. Meanwhile, three leading credit bureaus agreed to stop using most medical debt to measure U.S. consumers’ creditworthiness. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Black Therapists Fight to Be Seen on TikTok. When They Are, They Find Solidarity.

Black mental health therapists talk openly on TikTok about working in a predominantly white field, while at the same time making mental health care more accessible for people of color who might be shut out of the health care system.