Mental Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Falsa terapeuta engañó a cientos de pacientes en Internet, y solo se supo porque murió

KFF Health News Original

Cientos de estadounidenses pueden haber recibido terapia, sin saberlo, de una impostora sin formación que se hizo pasar por terapeuta en sesiones por internet, posiblemente durante dos años. El engaño sólo se descubrió cuando murió, según registros de departamentos de salud estatales.

Supreme Court OKs Local Crackdowns on Homelessness, as Advocates Warn of Chaos

KFF Health News Original

In a momentous 6-3 decision that could affect communities across the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court gave local officials and law enforcement more authority to fine and penalize homeless people living outside. Advocates for homeless people predict the ruling will lead to more sickness and death.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': SCOTUS Ruling Strips Power From Federal Health Agencies

Podcast

In what will certainly be remembered as a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has overruled a 40-year-old precedent that gave federal agencies, rather than judges, the power to interpret ambiguous laws passed by Congress. Administrative experts say the decision will dramatically change the way key health agencies do business. Also, the court decided not to decide whether a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care overrides Idaho’s near-total ban on abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

El sonido que producen las cigarras afecta a algunos más que a otros… ¿por qué?

KFF Health News Original

Desde esta primavera, miles de millones de insectos de ojos rojos han estado saliendo de la tierra en todo el Medio Oeste y el Sureste. Es parte de una rara aparición simultánea de dos camadas de cigarras: una que aparece cada 13 años y la otra cada 17.

US Judge Finds California in Contempt Over Prison Mental Health Staffing

KFF Health News Original

A federal judge has found top California officials in contempt for failing to hire enough mental health professionals to adequately treat tens of thousands of incarcerated people with serious mental disorders. The judge ordered the state to pay $112 million in fines.

Therapists Learn How To Help Farmers Cope With Stress Before It’s Too Late

KFF Health News Original

Many farmers have traditionally handled their own problems, whether it’s a busted tractor or debilitating anxiety. “With the older generation, it’s still, ‘Suck it up and get over it,’” says an Iowa mental health advocate and farmer.

Presidential Politics, Polka and Wisconsin

KFF Health News Original

Wisconsin, the land of fried cheese curds and the Green Bay Packers, is one of a half-dozen key battleground states where President Biden is trying to make health care a key issue in his expected November matchup with former president Donald Trump. Biden narrowly won Wisconsin in 2020, after it went for Trump in 2016. […]

White House Enlists Doctors and Hospitals To Combat Gun Violence

KFF Health News Original

As Congress remains deadlocked on gun policy, the Biden administration is calling on hospital leaders and doctors to gather more data about gunshot injuries and deaths and step up their violence prevention work.

‘So Much Death’: Lawmakers Weigh Stricter Speed Limits, Safer Roads for Pedestrians

KFF Health News Original

New York and Michigan recently passed laws allowing local jurisdictions to lower speed limits, and Los Angeles voters backed safer road designs, but enforcement often meets political resistance. The number of pedestrians killed or injured on the road remains high.

Psychoactive Drugs Are Having a Moment. The FDA Will Soon Weigh In.

KFF Health News Original

Mounting evidence suggests psychoactive drugs including LSD, ketamine, mushrooms, and MDMA can be powerful treatments for severe depression and PTSD. But not everyone is convinced. And even if such drugs gain FDA approval, safety protocols could render them extremely expensive.

Addiction Treatment Homes Say Montana’s Funding Fixes Don’t Go Far Enough

KFF Health News Original

Montana has created a voucher program to help cover room and board costs at low-intensity residential programs for people with addiction. Those running the homes say bridging that care is urgent but that the program’s funding falls far below the need.

Federal Panel Prescribes New Mental Health Strategy To Curb Maternal Deaths

KFF Health News Original

The leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States — including suicides and fatalities linked to substance use disorders — stem from mental health conditions. Now a federal task force has recommended strategies to help women who are at risk during or after pregnancy.

The Psychedelics-As-Medicine Movement Spreads to California

KFF Health News Original

Ecstasy, “magic mushrooms” and other psychedelic drugs could soon be recognized as therapeutic in California — one of the latest states, and the biggest, to consider allowing their use as medicine. Legislation by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) and Assembly member Marie Waldron (R) would allow the therapeutic use of psilocybin, mescaline, ecstasy and dimethyltryptamine […]