Mental Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

After Opioid Overdose, Only 30 Percent Get Medicine To Treat Addiction

KFF Health News Original

Patients revived from an opioid overdose who get methadone or Suboxone treatment for addiction afterward are much more likely to be alive a year later, says a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Reversing An Overdose Isn’t Complicated, But Getting The Antidote Can Be

KFF Health News Original

Last month, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged more Americans to carry and learn to use naloxone, which can save someone from an opioid overdose. But the drug, brand-name Narcan, can be difficult to get and expensive.

Will We Still Be Relevant ‘When We’re 64’?

KFF Health News Original

Older adults often feel invisible as their interactions with younger people dwindle and hardly anyone seems to seek their advice. To make matters worse, studies link loneliness to weaker immune systems and poorer physical health.

For The Babies Of The Opioid Crisis, The Best Care May Be Mom’s Recovery

KFF Health News Original

Research is just beginning on infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, and doctors are optimistic that normal development is possible. Monitoring the families and making sure parents are treated for addiction is key.

Use Of Psychiatric Drugs Soars In California Jails

KFF Health News Original

A combination of factors has led to an “astronomical” increase in mentally ill inmates, followed by increased efforts to identify those who need prescriptions. Some say the meds are underprescribed; others, that they are given inappropriately, without the benefit of comprehensive treatment.