Rob's Latest Articles
MindSite News Cofounder Tom Insel on PBS NewsHour
Our own Dr. Tom Insel, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, author of the new book Healing, and a cofounder of MindSite News, was interviewed last night by Judy Woodruff on PBS New Hour.
Michigan spending $ on school mental health
Michigan is providing more money to schools to support student mental health – but will they find social workers to hire? An Oregon school creates a "calm room" for students to de-stress.
Meeting demand – or creating it?
Bloomberg Businessweek finds overprescribing at tele-mental health giant Cerebral Inc. Chicago hospitals rally to support and retain burned-out physicians, nurses and other hospital workers. And a 10th grade student who actually loves online learning.
Is forgetfulness a blessing?
A toolkit for the pandemic era: The blessing of forgetting. Coping with vicarious trauma. And reframing negativity.
California prepares for court
California's governor proposes expanded use of court-ordered treatment. A community healing team in Minnesota's Twin Cites offers support to the Black community. And a college professor offers tips for supporting students' mental health.
Is this the new normal?
It's tougher than ever to get mental health assistance. Adults and children are waiting months to see a therapist. Nebraska's Medicaid program has stopped paying for interpreters to help mental health clinicians communicate with clients. Plus mindfulness for migraines and the relief of knocking items off your "needle list."
Does social media trigger tics?
Researchers investigate social media and tics in children. National Public Radio talks about healing (with our own Tom Insel). Plus, a virtual arts festival whose proceeds will go to support people in war-torn Ukraine.
The state of the union’s mental health
Last night, President Biden addressed mental health issues in a way no President has ever done — with the possible exception of John F. Kennedy. Plus, the pace of climate change is accelerating — with increasingly clear impacts on our mental health.
Biden Uses State of Union to Announce National Mental Health Strategy
President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union speech to address the mental and emotional suffering that has been festering in the United States.
Can the DSM be replaced?
Therapists and mental health researchers continue to challenge psychiatry’s diagnostic bible. Ruckers put a load on their backs – and find it therapeutic. And Dr. Bronner’s puts some of its profits into the push to develop psychedelic therapies.
Young men of color conduct mental health research with their peers
Young men of color in Chicago conduct mental health research with their peers – and help shape a 10-year plan for community change. Plus, the risks of too much worry, the overuse of “trauma-informed” and Selena Gomez’s funding for mental health.
Safety first
New bill in Congress seeks to rein in social media companies and protect children. Kids mental health emergency visits are on the rise. New insights emerge on the benefits of exercise for mental wellness.
Grief needs time – and time off
n a time of loss and grief, employees want time off to grieve for loved ones. Mental health stigma lives, at least when it comes to basketball players. An orchestra composed of musicians with histories of mental illness. And a rural Colorado clinic that has gotten both good press and bad.
All about school
One group is often ignored when it comes to mental health support: teachers. Another is about the role academic advisors can play supporting their grad students. Plus: Museum insensitivity to mental illness (specifically, Van Gogh’s) and declining rates of child abuse.
Pastors and mental health
Pastors play the role of mental health professionals (and would like a little help). Plus psych beds needed in Michigan, peers working in Ohio.
All about stress
Stressed-out college students in California get a change to go pass/no pass and remove some pressure. Stress-out women are facing a surge of "broken heart syndrome" that cardiologists are working to understand. And a ketamine trial in France found the drug eased suicidal thinking in patients with bipolar disease – at least for a few weeks.
CDC Recognizes Mental Illness as Risk for COVID-19 Complications, Increasing Access to Booster Shots
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized that people with schizophrenia and mood disorders such as major depression have a heightened risk of severe outcomes if they contract COVID-19, which increases their chances of being admitted to intensive care units.
Full of Mad Black Pride, She Tells Her Story and Helps Others Tell Theirs
Kelechi Ubozoh spent her childhood straddling two different worlds. She spent summers with her Nigerian father in New York, where she was born, and the rest of the year in suburban Atlanta, where her African American mother worked as a doctor. Today, she’s a mental health advocate, a convener and a storyteller.
