Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Pain, Hope, and Science Collide as Athletes Turn to Magic Mushrooms

KFF Health News Original

A group of former professional athletes traveled to Jamaica to try psychedelics as a way to help cope with the aftereffects of concussions and a career of body-pounding injuries. Will this still largely untested treatment work?

People With Down Syndrome Are Living Longer, but the Health System Still Treats Many as Kids

KFF Health News Original

The median life expectancy for a U.S. baby born with Down syndrome jumped from about four years in 1950 to 58 years in the 2010s. That’s largely because they no longer can be denied lifesaving care, including surgeries for heart defects. But now, aging adults with Down syndrome face a health system unprepared to care for them.

As Montana’s Mental Health Crisis Care Crumbles, Politicians Promise Aid

KFF Health News Original

One of Montana’s largest mental health providers has ratcheted back services amid financial troubles, leaving a vacuum. State policymakers have promised more money to aid behavioral health care, but lasting change could be years out.

Truly Random Drug Testing: ADHD Patients Face Uneven Urine Screens and, Sometimes, Stigma

KFF Health News Original

Doctors have no national standards on when to order urine tests to check whether adult ADHD patients are properly taking their prescription stimulants. Some patients are subjected to much more frequent testing than others.

When College Athletes Kill Themselves, Healing the Team Becomes the Next Goal

KFF Health News Original

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college students. Contrary to conventional wisdom, athletes aren’t immune from the risk factors. Players at Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin, and other colleges are learning how to protect their mental health and ask for help after their teammates killed themselves.

A Lot of Thought, Little Action: Proposals About Mental Health Go Unheeded

KFF Health News Original

A recent report detailing problems with Florida’s patchwork mental health system had reached conclusions nearly identical to those of a similar report from more than 20 years ago. The echoes between the findings are unmistakable. And Florida isn’t the only state struggling with the criminalization of mental illness, a lack of coordination between providers, and insufficient access to treatment.

Some Roadblocks to Lifesaving Addiction Treatment Are Gone. Now What?

KFF Health News Original

The federal government has lifted restrictions on one of the most effective opioid addiction treatment medications. The change sets up a “truth serum moment”: Will mainstream doctors and nurses now treat addiction as a common disease?

Two Counties Square Off With California Over Mental Health Duties

KFF Health News Original

The state wants to stop paying Kaiser Permanente for treating severely mentally ill Medi-Cal patients in Sacramento and Solano counties and force the counties to take on the task. The counties’ leaders say they can’t afford it.

Estrés pandémico, pandillas y miedo impulsaron un aumento de tiroteos adolescentes

KFF Health News Original

Investigaciones muestran que los adolescentes expuestos a la violencia armada tienen el doble de probabilidades que otros de cometer un delito violento grave dentro de los dos años luego del trauma, lo que perpetúa un ciclo difícil de romper.

Por qué los adultos mayores con ansiedad suelen no recibir ayuda

KFF Health News Original

La ansiedad es el trastorno psicológico más común que afecta a los adultos en Estados Unidos. En las personas mayores, se asocia a una angustia considerable y a problemas de salud, disminución de la calidad de vida y elevadas tasas de discapacidad.