Mental Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Listen: Inexpensive Nerve Drug Often Abused As Opioid Epidemic Grows

KFF Health News Original

Gabapentin, a medication approved to help patients with nerve pain or epilepsy, is being abused by people addicted to opioids to help prolong their high or stave off withdrawal from other drugs. Kaiser Health News reporter Carmen Heredia Rodriguez talks about the problem during a wide-ranging health discussion on the NPR program “On Point.”

Pacientes con dolor crónico se sienten atrapados en el debate sobre opioides

KFF Health News Original

Los pacientes que necesitan esta medicación se sienten afectados injustamente por la tendencia a recetarlos cada vez menos, como una estrategia para frenar la creciente epidemia de abuso de opioides.

¿Qué tan pronto conviene saber si tienes Alzheimer?

KFF Health News Original

José Belardo fue diagnosticado con Alzheimer precoz a los 50 años. Siempre memorioso, el contraalmirante retirado olvidó por dos años consecutivos su aniversario de bodas. Fue cuando la familia se dio cuenta que algo estaba pasando.

How Soon Is Soon Enough To Learn You Have Alzheimer’s?

KFF Health News Original

Only about half of people with Alzheimer’s symptoms get a diagnosis, partly out of fear of an incurable decline, doctors suspect. But Jose Belardo says facing the future allows him to plan for it.

California Clinic Screens Asylum Seekers For Honesty

KFF Health News Original

As new federal policies make it harder to gain asylum in the U.S., foreign applicants try to improve their chances by having doctors evaluate their conditions — perhaps bolstering their stories of torture and violent persecution back home.

The Other Victims: First Responders To Horrific Disasters Often Suffer In Solitude

KFF Health News Original

Some firefighters, emergency medical providers and law enforcement officers say recent mass shootings and other calamities — disturbing enough in themselves — have brought to the surface trauma buried over years on the job. Many are reluctant to seek help, though some employers are trying to change that.

Texas Clinics Busting Traditional Silos Of Mental And Physical Health Care

KFF Health News Original

Efforts to provide care that integrates physical and mental health services are spreading, partly because untreated mental health conditions negatively affect physical health and escalate health care costs.