Mental Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Lethal Plans: When Seniors Turn To Suicide In Long-Term Care

KFF Health News Original

In a nation where the suicide rate continues to climb, such deaths among older adults are often overlooked. A six-month investigation by KHN and PBS NewsHour finds that older Americans are quietly killing themselves in nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult care homes.

California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients

KFF Health News Original

Homeless patients accounted for about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% increase from just two years earlier. Health officials attribute the surge to the overall rise in California’s homeless numbers and the large proportion of people living on the streets with mental illness.

She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.

KFF Health News Original

With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.

Aspiring Doctors Seek Advanced Training In Addiction Medicine

KFF Health News Original

Once a tiny specialty that drew mostly psychiatrists, addiction medicine is expanding its accredited training to include primary care residents and “social justice warriors” who see it as a calling.

Comprendiendo la soledad en los adultos mayores y diseñando una solución

KFF Health News Original

La soledad se presenta en diferentes formas que requieren respuestas diferentes. Hay una soledad emocional, que afecta a nivel íntimo, y otra social, la percepción que la persona no encaja más en distintos entornos.

California busca liderar movimiento para descifrar los traumas infantiles

KFF Health News Original

La doctora Nadine Burke Harris, flamante cirujana general de California, lidera un movimiento para comprender cómo las experiencias traumáticas infantiles generan enfermedades físicas y mentales graves.

California Looks To Lead Nation In Unraveling Childhood Trauma

KFF Health News Original

The Golden State, in a movement spearheaded by its first-ever surgeon general, stands to become a vanguard for the nation in tracing adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, to the onset of physical and mental illness. But what can a pediatrician, with her 15-minute time slots and extensive to-do list, do about the ills of an absent parent or a neighborhood riddled with gun violence?

Listening To Older Patients Who Want To Stop Dialysis

KFF Health News Original

Older adults with advanced kidney disease sometimes want to stop dialysis but often meet resistance from doctors, new research shows. We explore options available to these patients, including conservative care.