Latest KFF Health News Stories
Large Danish Study Links Contraceptive Use To Risk Of Depression
The research, published in JAMA Psychiatry, finds significant increases in the use of anti-depressants and depression diagnoses for women using hormonal forms of contraceptives, such as the pill.
Deadly Opioid Overwhelms First Responders And Crime Labs in Ohio
Carfentanil, a potent variation on fentanyl, is being blamed for a wave of opioid overdoses. In Cincinnati, the coroner, crime lab and first responders are struggling to keep up.
Kratom Defenders Fight Plan To Ban Herb Used By People In Recovery
The DEA plans to put the herbal supplement in the same legal category as heroin and LSD, but the agency has been surprised by the response of people who say it helps them stay off opioids.
The Women’s Health Issue No One Talks About
Depression is common among American women, and antidepressant use is on the rise. Yet women tend to keep both a secret. Why aren’t we discussing this more?
Parents Often Battle To Get Their Children Mental Health Services At School
Kids with mental health problems often suffer anxiety, difficulty focusing and social challenges. Half of them drop out of high school, in part because many schools don’t manage to meet their needs.
Study: Health Spending Related To Opioid Treatment Rose More Than 1,300 Percent
Based on an analysis of insurance company payments, emergency room visits and lab tests were responsible for much of the overall spending.
Colorado Gun Shops Work Together To Prevent Suicides
Gun shop owners and public health workers in Colorado are finding common ground amid rancor over guns and politics. They are collaborating to reduce suicides involving firearms.
Trans And Adopted: Exploring Teen Identity
A Boston health clinic that treats transgender kids and teens finds that the percentage of its young patients who are adopted is higher than expected. These kids might need extra support, doctors say.
Screening Positive For Depression Doesn’t Mean You’ll Get Treatment, Study Finds
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that patients known as the “worried well” are actually the highest utilizers of mental health care — and likely to receive antidepressants.
‘Mental Health First Aid’ — Chirlane McCray On How N.Y.C. Is Fixing The System
“Every city’s not New York City,” but the Big Apple’s first lady hopes that the city’s efforts to address mental health access issues could be replicated across the country.
In Boston’s ‘Safe Space,’ Surprising Insights Into Drug Highs
As doctors and nurses learn more about what the body goes through during drug use, they are changing the treatment they provide for patients on heroin and other drugs.
California Court Helps Kids By Healing Parents’ Addictions
The opioid epidemic may be fueling a rise in the number of children in foster care. But a special family court is trying to keep families together by treating parents with substance abuse problems.
Puberty Blockers May Improve The Mental Health Of Transgender Adolescents
Putting sexual development on hold gives children a breather as they consider transitioning to the opposite gender. But when to begin?
Race, Ethnicity Affect Kids’ Access To Mental Health Care, Study Finds
An analysis in the International Journal of Health Services finds disparities between white young people and their black and Hispanic counterparts in how often they receive mental health treatment.
Insurance Rules Can Hamper Recovery From Opioid Addiction
Medicaid and other health insurers require doctors to file time-consuming paperwork before allowing them to prescribe drugs that help people quit opioids. That delay fosters relapse, specialists say.
Fighting HIV In Miami, One Dirty Needle At A Time
A Miami doctor spent five years working to pass a needle exchange law for Miami-Dade County that he hopes will reduce HIV and other infections. The doctor’s battle inspired a patient who was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C from a shared needle.
Assisted Living Residents With Dementia Prone To Abusing Others, Study Finds
Residents with dementia need to be monitored and increased training is needed for staff who care for them, said researchers who examined reported instances of abuse in assisted living facilities.
Refugees’ Needs In U.S. Change As World’s Conflicts Shift
Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive with decidedly different medical and mental health needs than other waves of refugees.
Depressed Teen’s Struggle To Find Mental Health Care In Rural California
After a teenager attempted suicide, her family searched in vain for therapists who would take their insurance and were accepting new patients. The family paid for therapy with credit cards instead.
Teaching Future Doctors About Addiction
Most medical schools offer very little education on treating opioid addiction. Stanford University’s medical school is trying to ramp it up.
