The Night Parade: A genre-bending memoir that helps reshape the cultural narrative on bipolar illness and grief
Jami Nakamura Lin has written a rich, exquisitely illustrated memoir that expands the cultural narrative on mental illness and grief.
Essays & Interviews
Latest in Essays & Interviews
A Former Hotline Counselor ‘Hands the Mic’ to Call-takers to Amplify Their Voices
The author of a survey of crisis hotline counselors talks about his experiences and why he wanted to tap into the wisdom of the people who answer calls to 988.
How Allen Ginsberg’s Poems About Madness Helped Change Psychiatry: An Interview with Biographer Dr. Stevan Weine
Dr. Stevan Weine talks about his recent book on how poet Allen Ginsberg's writings helped change psychiatry for the better.
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."
‘Retaliation is a reality’: How agribusiness attacks on a Colorado farmworkers rights law erode ranch workers’ mental health
Anxiety and depression, among the most common mental issues in migrant farmworkers, may be exacerbated by the backlash against a recent farmworkers rights bill.
Voices of Transgender Prisoners
A 2021 California law aimed to reduce the violence and degradation experienced by trans prisoners, but reporter Lee Romney found that trans women transferred to a women's state prison in Chowchilla have suffered new forms of trauma.
Constant Fear, Death All Around: A Palestinian Psychologist Is Distraught For Her Family and the Impact of War on Gaza’s Children
Dr. Iman Farajallah, a California-based psychologist who grew up in Gaza, talks about her research on the widespread, severe trauma that was afflicting Palestinian children – even before the brutal war now underway.
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.
A Therapist Who Puts Community at the Center of Healing Reflects on the Conflict in Israel and Gaza – and the Real Lessons of 9/11
Jack Saul led a community healing effort in New York after 9/11. He has seen the psychological impact of collective trauma throughout the world and worries that Israel is now making the same mistakes that the U.S. made back then.
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.
Unpacking a ‘Watershed’ Legal Agreement to Improve Conditions for Mentally Ill People in L.A. County Jails
Advocates hail the settlement as a victory for mentally ill people and as a major step to reducing jail populations and improving conditions for those who remain.
Climate Change Can Harm the Mental Health of Older Adults
Climate change is expected to increase the severity and frequency of wildfires and other environmental disasters. San Francisco Public Press spoke with Robin Cooper, a psychiatrist and co-founder of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance, about what needs to be done locally to address climate change’s mental health toll.
Ashwin Vasan, New York City’s Doctor, on Trying to Fix a ‘Broken Mental Health System’
"We're in the midst of the largest drop of life expectancy that we've faced as a city and country in a century. COVID, obviously, is one explanation. But there are many other reasons – overdoses, rising rates of chronic illness, premature deaths from birth inequities, increased rates of violence, suicide. All these link to mental health, either directly, like overdoses, or indirectly. We need to start looking at mental health as a cross-cutting issue that often manifests in conditions or causes of death we would otherwise not refer to as mental health. We have to see it almost in the groundwater."
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.
What is going on with my perfect child?
Dr. Barbara Greenberg advises parents not to burden their son by calling him a perfect child and give him more room to grow and make mistakes.
How can I get my easygoing mom back again?
Teen psychologist Barbara Greenberg advises a teen how to deal with a mom put on edge by the pandemic.
A Healed Black Man Works to Heal Others
During his six decades on the planet, Douglas Reed has worn many uniforms. He spent two decades in Army fatigues, then did a tour in federal prisons as a corrections officer. Nowadays he tours the U.S. talking about his mental health journey. MindSite News Reporter Josh McGhee spoke with him about his path.
A Former Hotline Counselor ‘Hands the Mic’ to Call-takers to Amplify Their Voices
The author of a survey of crisis hotline counselors talks about his experiences and why he wanted to tap into the wisdom of the people who answer calls to 988.
How Allen Ginsberg’s Poems About Madness Helped Change Psychiatry: An Interview with Biographer Dr. Stevan Weine
Dr. Stevan Weine talks about his recent book on how poet Allen Ginsberg's writings helped change psychiatry for the better.
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."
‘Retaliation is a reality’: How agribusiness attacks on a Colorado farmworkers rights law erode ranch workers’ mental health
Anxiety and depression, among the most common mental issues in migrant farmworkers, may be exacerbated by the backlash against a recent farmworkers rights bill.
Voices of Transgender Prisoners
A 2021 California law aimed to reduce the violence and degradation experienced by trans prisoners, but reporter Lee Romney found that trans women transferred to a women's state prison in Chowchilla have suffered new forms of trauma.
Constant Fear, Death All Around: A Palestinian Psychologist Is Distraught For Her Family and the Impact of War on Gaza’s Children
Dr. Iman Farajallah, a California-based psychologist who grew up in Gaza, talks about her research on the widespread, severe trauma that was afflicting Palestinian children – even before the brutal war now underway.
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.
A Therapist Who Puts Community at the Center of Healing Reflects on the Conflict in Israel and Gaza – and the Real Lessons of 9/11
Jack Saul led a community healing effort in New York after 9/11. He has seen the psychological impact of collective trauma throughout the world and worries that Israel is now making the same mistakes that the U.S. made back then.
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.
Unpacking a ‘Watershed’ Legal Agreement to Improve Conditions for Mentally Ill People in L.A. County Jails
Advocates hail the settlement as a victory for mentally ill people and as a major step to reducing jail populations and improving conditions for those who remain.
Climate Change Can Harm the Mental Health of Older Adults
Climate change is expected to increase the severity and frequency of wildfires and other environmental disasters. San Francisco Public Press spoke with Robin Cooper, a psychiatrist and co-founder of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance, about what needs to be done locally to address climate change’s mental health toll.
Ashwin Vasan, New York City’s Doctor, on Trying to Fix a ‘Broken Mental Health System’
"We're in the midst of the largest drop of life expectancy that we've faced as a city and country in a century. COVID, obviously, is one explanation. But there are many other reasons – overdoses, rising rates of chronic illness, premature deaths from birth inequities, increased rates of violence, suicide. All these link to mental health, either directly, like overdoses, or indirectly. We need to start looking at mental health as a cross-cutting issue that often manifests in conditions or causes of death we would otherwise not refer to as mental health. We have to see it almost in the groundwater."
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.
What is going on with my perfect child?
Dr. Barbara Greenberg advises parents not to burden their son by calling him a perfect child and give him more room to grow and make mistakes.
How can I get my easygoing mom back again?
Teen psychologist Barbara Greenberg advises a teen how to deal with a mom put on edge by the pandemic.
A Healed Black Man Works to Heal Others
During his six decades on the planet, Douglas Reed has worn many uniforms. He spent two decades in Army fatigues, then did a tour in federal prisons as a corrections officer. Nowadays he tours the U.S. talking about his mental health journey. MindSite News Reporter Josh McGhee spoke with him about his path.