July 28, 2022
Today, we bring you two new MindSite News Originals stories about a digital mental health startup, Cerebral, we first wrote about back in November of last year.
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Cerebral CEO David Mou on Lessons Learned, ‘Distasteful’ Marketing and ‘Tripling Down’ on Clinical Quality
An interview with the CEO of Cerebral, the virtual mental health company that experienced explosive growth in its valuation and business and is now recalibrating and dealing with legal challenges.
‘They assumed I was being hysterical’
When Paige Morrisey got COVID-19 with symptoms including brain fog, many specialists didn’t believe her symptoms. “They assumed that I was kind of being hysterical,” she said. As a result, some “long-haulers” have become advocates and researchers, forming collaboratives to gather data and hunt for treatments.
Busting myths about suicide
We look at common myths about suicide. We explore the life-threatening anguish of Asian American actor Constance Wu over a Twitter shaming. And we share a tip about reaching out to old friends.
Psychedelics, explored
A new Netflix series, How to Change Your Mind, based on Michael Pollan's book takes an in-depth look at psychedelics. Americans are taking more psychiatric medications than ever. Also: a study on trauma experienced by urban librarians, and a mental health checklist for college freshmen.
When diagnosis become identity
A man with OCD has a warning: Don't become your diagnosis. A Salvadoran American poet calls for healing, not punishment. And psychedelics research is surging in Europe.
Helping the youngest
A Philly psychiatrist works with the zero-to-5 set. Poverty and community violence can harm children's brain development – but community factors can act as buffers. Plus, summer camp can be therapeutic.
What They’re Saying: Mental Health Advocates on the Bipartisan Gun Violence Package
On Jan. 21, a bipartisan group of Senators announced the details of a gun violence legislative package that also commits almost $15 billion over the coming years to funding mental health services. Leading mental health advocates are praising the proposed legislation. Here’s a sample of their reactions:
The importance of being vulnerable
A Black counselor encourages Black dads to let their children be vulnerable. Green spaces make people happy – and you can measure it. And states and the federal government are making it tougher to get telehealth.
Honoring Juneteenth…
Happy Juneteenth. MindSite News is taking the holiday off. We'll be back tomorrow.
Two looks at school mental health
Today we are pleased to bring you two stories that represent just what we're trying to do at MindSite News. One looks at an innovative effort to create solutions to the youth mental health crisis; the other investigates politicized efforts to undermine these very efforts.
More fights over school mental health
A plan for school-based mental health clinics triggers a backlash. A new violence-prevention effort in Chicago. And what the state of a woman's hair may say about the state of her mental health.
MDMA shows promise for PTSD
MDMA shows promise as a treatment for PTSD. Virginia patients with dementia flood state psych hospitals, where they don't belong. And Dallas will soon open a program aimed at keeping mentally ill people out of jail.
It starts with trauma
Childhood trauma underlines the history of every mass shooter and we need to learn this fact. Oregon to pay meth users to keep clean. And New York City's new push to break the isolation of the mentally ill.
MindSite News Statement on Texas School Shooting
We're heartbroken over the Uvalde, Texas school shooting and other recent massacres. And we want action.
Saving the stoic cowboy
Saving lives among the macho of Wyoming. What is maladaptive daydreaming? And a bit of adventure can be good for kids.
Stigma? What stigma?
New research suggests stigma is easing toward people with mental health conditions. Facebook content moderators in Africa say the company treats them callously, with little support for their mental health. And a plea for for helicopter parents to stop the whirling.
Women athletes under stress
Women who are college athletes face intense mental and emotional pressure. Can phone bans for kids work? Plus, climate change and mental illness: the saga continues.
Exonerated and released – now what?
Wrongfully convicted men who were exonerated and released provide loving support to each other. Teachers are leaving the profession in droves in the face of hostility, burnout and lack of support. And Texas says fentanyl test strips – which can save lives by detecting the contaminating presence of the deadly drug – are illegal.
The predictive power of baby teeth
New research explores what baby teeth can tell us about a child's mental health. A new urgent care service for mental health opening in Detroit. And do laws against interstate therapy limit freedom of speech?
The complicated life of teens
A delightful guide to puberty from our leading pediatric association. Plus, we discuss a poignant story and mini documentary about the mental health crisis that is affecting so many of our teenagers. Also: a reprieve from execution for a Texas woman with a history of trauma who supporters say was coerced into a false confession.
Like a bad episode of The Office
What if your office throws you a party that you told them you didn't want? Plus what does it really means to be diagnosed with ADHD?
A teacher who’s been there
Today, we learn about a teacher who once dropped out of high school himself. We also bring you stories about the soaring number of unhoused people who have died on the streets of our cities and, on the more hopeful side, about a program in North Carolina that is helping homeless people get into housing.
A trip to the courthouse
An Ohio State professor having a mental breakdown resigned her job with an "f-you" email, then tried to backtrack. A Texas mother with a history of trauma is slated to be executed – but advocates say her confession was false. Plus a photographer makes portraits of unhoused people – and lets them tell their stories.
The return of gaslighting
Gaslighting – the phrase – has enjoyed a resurgence in the disinformation era. Clubhouses give people coping with mental illness a judgement-free place to go. Plus Britney Spears takes to social media with a useful message about perinatal depression.