When a Pet Dies
Friends and family may not understand the depth of the grief you feel over the loss of a beloved pet. Here are some ways to cope.
Guest Essays
Latest in Guest Essays
What Martin Luther King, Jr. Knew But Never Said
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was known for the soaring oratory he deployed as he led a movement for racial equity and social justice using the power of nonviolent protest. One thing he did not talk about was his mental health. In fact, King struggled with depression but rarely discussed it because of his fear it could be used against him and the movement.
Boom! Bang! Tales From a Cell Below ‘The Crazy Unit’
The writer, incarcerated in New Jersey State Prison, wrote about a man descending into distress above him, in the prison's mental health unit.
"In the time I’ve been here," he wrote, "I’ve heard three episodes that have been particularly concerning. The first one started in November 2022 with the guy above me at the time. I call him the banging guy."
Want to Strengthen the U.S. Mental Health Parity Law? You Have Until Tuesday 10/17 at Midnight to Submit Comments!
Public comment on a change to the mental health parity act has been extended to October 17. Here is how you can weigh in.
Philly’s Cherelle Parker, The Very Disrespectful Emails (and Me)
Our reporter in Philadelphia pursued an interview with leading mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker to find out how she planned to address the mental health needs of people impacted by gun violence. She got stonewalled – as the campaign's internal emails admitted.
The federal government has been greatly underestimating the number of people with schizophrenia, our most serious mental illness. That’s a big deal
Every health policy decision depends on having an accurate estimate of how many people are living with a particular disorder. Yet for years the federal government has been erroneously measuring the number of people living with the most disabling mental illness – schizophrenia.
For Transgender Youth, Conversion Therapy Brings Greater Suicide Risk Than Hormone Treatment, Researchers Say
A research team finds that supportive family environments and hormone replacement therapy that affirm a transgender child’s gender identity decrease their risk of suicide or running away from home. Unsupportive family environments and conversion therapy that denies their gender identity increase these risks.
My Mother, the Impassioned Journalist
As Mental Health Awareness Month ends, a reflection on the ambiguities of love and loss.
ChatGPT Can Channel the Stock Responses of a Therapist, But It Misses What Makes Us Human
As a therapist, I'm impressed by how convincingly a bot powered by artificial intelligence can reproduce the responses of a human therapist. But I am also reminded of how special and uniquthe process of psychotherapy is for a human therapist and patient.
Shame of a City, and a Nation
Two ugly strains of American life came together this week on a New York subway: the fear and hatred of people with mental illness and the belief that vigilante action is justified against people who make others frightened or uncomfortable. Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man and street performer, fit all of these categories, and now he is dead.
Spare the Child: Spanking Harms Both Children and Caregivers
More Black millennial parents are rethinking corporal punishment. Research shows spanking is far from harmless. It increases aggression, rage and hostility in children and may contribute to violence in later life.
Depression Too Often Gets Deemed ‘Hard to Treat’ When Medication Falls Short
Three in four people who take antidepressants drugs don't get complete relief – and then are often categorized as having “treatment-resistant depression.” Many patients are demoralized by the notion that their depression is “incurable.” But what if they're trying the wrong treatment?
Good Grief: How to Mourn in a Healthy Way
The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over one million American lives, casting a blanket of grief over the country. Despite its challenges, the pandemic has given us an opportunity to address the topic of grief and how best to cope with this unavoidable part of being human.
Trauma Expert Says Mental Health Scars from Latest Shooting Will Extend Beyond Those Directly Affected
Two more communities are stricken with grief in the wake of the Jan. 21 shooting at Monterey Park, Calif., that left 11 people dead and nine wounded, and the Jan. 23 shooting in Half Moon Bay, Calif., that killed seven and injured one. Families and friends of the victims, as well as those who were injured, are no doubt gripped with grief, anguish and despair.
Can the Right Kind of Tech Help Address the Mental Health Crisis Among LGBTQ+ Youth?
Increased visibility of LGBTQ+ people and progress in policy change has allowed young people to define themselves and feel more confident expressing their identity. But here’s the downside: Most LGBTQ+ adolescents still come out to a hostile and rejecting world. Today, kids who don’t get support at home can connect with online supports and resources – if we continue to create and support those tools.
The Hole Ruined Me: Why Solitary Confinement Should Be Banned
In 2019, more than 55,000 incarcerated Americans had spent the past 15 days in solitary confinement. Jeffrey McKee was one, and he writes about the impact it had on his psyche.
Designed to fail: Measurement of patient experience
If you were ever hospitalized for a medical condition, you probably received a survey asking you about your experience. What you thought mattered to the hospital staff treating you – unless you were hospitalized for a mental health condition. In that case, your experience doesn't count and isn't asked about.
Abortion bans will bring psychological harms – here’s what research shows will happen in post-Roe America
As a therapist and scholar specializing in perinatal mental health, I’ve witnessed the psychological impacts of reproductive traumas across pregnancy and after childbirth. This gives me insights into how new restrictions on reproductive health care affect psychological well-being.
What’s behind the gender gap in the teen mental health crisis?
“How did your teen do during the pandemic?” That’s a question I often ask other parents, and their answer is almost always the same: Their sons were fine – they even flourished during Zoom school, getting more sleep and spending more time playing video games. Their daughters imploded.
Blaming Mass Shootings on “Mental Illness” Is Harmful and Misguided
After acts of gun violence, questions often arise about whether the assailant had a history of mental health conditions. The public and policymakers must stop responding to gun violence and mass shootings by saying that mental health conditions are the underlying cause. The claim is false and discriminatory.
To Prevent Mass Shootings, Stop Hunting for Motive, Start Investigating Shooters’ History of Childhood Adversity
Searching for a motive as a way to prevent mass shootings will just get you a useless answer to the wrong question.The right question is: What happened to a child to turn him into a killer spouting racist hate?
The Mentor’s Mentor: A Life Tribute to Jeree Pawl
Some cases that you encounter as a psychotherapist you never forget. In 1986, as a trainee at the Infant-Parent Program, I worked with a family that almost broke my heart. Fortunately, I had an excellent teacher and mentor: Jeree Pawl.
What to Do When the World Is Ending
I am part of a generation that feels, constantly, and even in the most mundane moments, that the world is ending. Almost every article I read these days begins with the same preamble listing all of the overlapping crises, topped off by the climate crisis, which will quite possibly lead to the extinction of our species. I feel swallowed by despair, and I know I’m not alone.
What Martin Luther King, Jr. Knew But Never Said
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was known for the soaring oratory he deployed as he led a movement for racial equity and social justice using the power of nonviolent protest. One thing he did not talk about was his mental health. In fact, King struggled with depression but rarely discussed it because of his fear it could be used against him and the movement.
Boom! Bang! Tales From a Cell Below ‘The Crazy Unit’
The writer, incarcerated in New Jersey State Prison, wrote about a man descending into distress above him, in the prison's mental health unit. "In the time I’ve been here," he wrote, "I’ve heard three episodes that have been particularly concerning. The first one started in November 2022 with the guy above me at the time. I call him the banging guy."
Want to Strengthen the U.S. Mental Health Parity Law? You Have Until Tuesday 10/17 at Midnight to Submit Comments!
Public comment on a change to the mental health parity act has been extended to October 17. Here is how you can weigh in.
Philly’s Cherelle Parker, The Very Disrespectful Emails (and Me)
Our reporter in Philadelphia pursued an interview with leading mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker to find out how she planned to address the mental health needs of people impacted by gun violence. She got stonewalled – as the campaign's internal emails admitted.
The federal government has been greatly underestimating the number of people with schizophrenia, our most serious mental illness. That’s a big deal
Every health policy decision depends on having an accurate estimate of how many people are living with a particular disorder. Yet for years the federal government has been erroneously measuring the number of people living with the most disabling mental illness – schizophrenia.
For Transgender Youth, Conversion Therapy Brings Greater Suicide Risk Than Hormone Treatment, Researchers Say
A research team finds that supportive family environments and hormone replacement therapy that affirm a transgender child’s gender identity decrease their risk of suicide or running away from home. Unsupportive family environments and conversion therapy that denies their gender identity increase these risks.
My Mother, the Impassioned Journalist
As Mental Health Awareness Month ends, a reflection on the ambiguities of love and loss.
ChatGPT Can Channel the Stock Responses of a Therapist, But It Misses What Makes Us Human
As a therapist, I'm impressed by how convincingly a bot powered by artificial intelligence can reproduce the responses of a human therapist. But I am also reminded of how special and uniquthe process of psychotherapy is for a human therapist and patient.
Shame of a City, and a Nation
Two ugly strains of American life came together this week on a New York subway: the fear and hatred of people with mental illness and the belief that vigilante action is justified against people who make others frightened or uncomfortable. Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man and street performer, fit all of these categories, and now he is dead.
Spare the Child: Spanking Harms Both Children and Caregivers
More Black millennial parents are rethinking corporal punishment. Research shows spanking is far from harmless. It increases aggression, rage and hostility in children and may contribute to violence in later life.
Depression Too Often Gets Deemed ‘Hard to Treat’ When Medication Falls Short
Three in four people who take antidepressants drugs don't get complete relief – and then are often categorized as having “treatment-resistant depression.” Many patients are demoralized by the notion that their depression is “incurable.” But what if they're trying the wrong treatment?
Good Grief: How to Mourn in a Healthy Way
The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over one million American lives, casting a blanket of grief over the country. Despite its challenges, the pandemic has given us an opportunity to address the topic of grief and how best to cope with this unavoidable part of being human.
Trauma Expert Says Mental Health Scars from Latest Shooting Will Extend Beyond Those Directly Affected
Two more communities are stricken with grief in the wake of the Jan. 21 shooting at Monterey Park, Calif., that left 11 people dead and nine wounded, and the Jan. 23 shooting in Half Moon Bay, Calif., that killed seven and injured one. Families and friends of the victims, as well as those who were injured, are no doubt gripped with grief, anguish and despair.
Can the Right Kind of Tech Help Address the Mental Health Crisis Among LGBTQ+ Youth?
Increased visibility of LGBTQ+ people and progress in policy change has allowed young people to define themselves and feel more confident expressing their identity. But here’s the downside: Most LGBTQ+ adolescents still come out to a hostile and rejecting world. Today, kids who don’t get support at home can connect with online supports and resources – if we continue to create and support those tools.
The Hole Ruined Me: Why Solitary Confinement Should Be Banned
In 2019, more than 55,000 incarcerated Americans had spent the past 15 days in solitary confinement. Jeffrey McKee was one, and he writes about the impact it had on his psyche.
Designed to fail: Measurement of patient experience
If you were ever hospitalized for a medical condition, you probably received a survey asking you about your experience. What you thought mattered to the hospital staff treating you – unless you were hospitalized for a mental health condition. In that case, your experience doesn't count and isn't asked about.
Abortion bans will bring psychological harms – here’s what research shows will happen in post-Roe America
As a therapist and scholar specializing in perinatal mental health, I’ve witnessed the psychological impacts of reproductive traumas across pregnancy and after childbirth. This gives me insights into how new restrictions on reproductive health care affect psychological well-being.
What’s behind the gender gap in the teen mental health crisis?
“How did your teen do during the pandemic?” That’s a question I often ask other parents, and their answer is almost always the same: Their sons were fine – they even flourished during Zoom school, getting more sleep and spending more time playing video games. Their daughters imploded.
Blaming Mass Shootings on “Mental Illness” Is Harmful and Misguided
After acts of gun violence, questions often arise about whether the assailant had a history of mental health conditions. The public and policymakers must stop responding to gun violence and mass shootings by saying that mental health conditions are the underlying cause. The claim is false and discriminatory.
To Prevent Mass Shootings, Stop Hunting for Motive, Start Investigating Shooters’ History of Childhood Adversity
Searching for a motive as a way to prevent mass shootings will just get you a useless answer to the wrong question.The right question is: What happened to a child to turn him into a killer spouting racist hate?
The Mentor’s Mentor: A Life Tribute to Jeree Pawl
Some cases that you encounter as a psychotherapist you never forget. In 1986, as a trainee at the Infant-Parent Program, I worked with a family that almost broke my heart. Fortunately, I had an excellent teacher and mentor: Jeree Pawl.
What to Do When the World Is Ending
I am part of a generation that feels, constantly, and even in the most mundane moments, that the world is ending. Almost every article I read these days begins with the same preamble listing all of the overlapping crises, topped off by the climate crisis, which will quite possibly lead to the extinction of our species. I feel swallowed by despair, and I know I’m not alone.
