December 27, 2024
(ABC) – From a pig kidney transplant to restoring genetic deafness, 2024 was a year full of medical breakthroughs. The breakthroughs include the discovery of a cause of an autoimmune disease, the development of a “game-changing” drug and potential hope … Read More
December 26, 2024
(NPR) – Whether it’s volunteering at a local food bank, or taking soup to a sick neighbor, there’s lots of evidence that when we help others, it can boost our own happiness and psychological well-being. But there’s also growing research … Read More
December 26, 2024
(New York Times) – Experts share how shifting from self-focused goals to thinking about others can have a positive impact on the year ahead. There is ample research — including one of the longest-running studies on human happiness — to … Read More
December 24, 2024
(KFF Health News) – Of the 3 million Americans over age 50 who identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender, about twice as many are single and living alone when compared with their heterosexual counterparts, according to the National Resource Center … Read More
December 23, 2024
(U.S. News & World Report) – Nearly 3.1 million U.S. residents died in 2023, according to final data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – roughly 189,000 fewer than in 2022. The age-adjusted rate of mortality in 2023 … Read More
December 20, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Gamblers Anonymous meetings are filling up with people hooked on trading and betting. Apps make it as easy as ordering takeout. Doctors and counselors say they are seeing more cases of compulsive gambling in financial markets, … Read More
December 19, 2024
(Science) – A brace of new studies probes benefits and risks for an understudied group Profound feelings of unity, transcendence, ineffability, and awe—as well as improved mental health. Those were among the testimonials in a recent survey of 233 people … Read More
December 19, 2024
(The Guardian) – At the last minute, Zoë decided to call off her euthanasia. But how do you start over after you’ve said all of your goodbyes? Everybody gathered round the bed. Evelien was standing at the head. She had … Read More
December 18, 2024
(NPR) – What happened to Gomez is common enough that some have coined a term for it: “cancer ghosting.” This social isolation and loss of support – even from close friends and family members – is a devastating and often … Read More
December 17, 2024
(The Baffler) – Chatbots take on the talking cure Broken Bear has purple and tan fur, a placid smile, and patched up circles on his belly: one, he tells me, covers a scar from a broken heart. The avatar of … Read More
December 17, 2024
(Wired) – The proliferation of open drug dealing on Instagram, Snapchat, and X—as well as on encrypted messaging platforms Telegram and WhatsApp—has transformed the fabric of illegal substance procurement, gradually making it more convenient, and arguably safer, for consumers, who … Read More
December 17, 2024
(DNYUZ) – In the months since, the angst and depression triggered by his cancer diagnosis no longer hound him, Mr. Blechman said, and he has gained profound insights into aspects of his personality he believes negatively affected his relationships. “Psilocybin … Read More
December 13, 2024
(Vox) – Here are three possible explanations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s preliminary data on the 12-month period ending in June showed that overdoses dropped about 15 percentage points from the previous period. There were still roughly 94,000 … Read More
December 11, 2024
(CBC News) – As involuntary treatment gains political traction in Canada, CBC News goes to Washington state to find out how it can help — and what can go wrong CBC News went inside an involuntary treatment facility near Seattle … Read More
December 9, 2024
(New York Times) – New technology alerts schools when students type words related to suicide. But do the timely interventions balance out the false alarms? A law required that these devices be fitted with filters to ensure safe internet use, … Read More
December 4, 2024
(The Verge) – The month before, Italian regulators had banned the company for posing a risk to minors and emotionally vulnerable users. In response, Replika placed filters on erotic content, which had the effect of sending many of its quarter-million … Read More
December 2, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – America’s drug crisis has many survivors. Jerry Schlesinger, 72, is among the longest tenured. He tried heroin at 15. Today, he has been sober for two years. In between, decades of illicit drug use wrecked his … Read More
December 2, 2024
(BBC) – A transsexual has been helped to die by doctors in Belgium, after a series of failed sex-change operations. Nathan Verhelst, born a girl, asked for help to end his life on grounds of psychological suffering. He died in … Read More
November 27, 2024
(The Verge) – The restrictions will prevent under-18s from using ‘appearance-altering effects’ that are difficult to detect. TikTok is placing age restrictions on some of its beauty filters to address concerns about how they impact the mental health of its … Read More
November 27, 2024
(Los Angeles Times) – Neuroscientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla have identified a brain pathway that instantly deflates anxiety. The new study, which published earlier this week in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience, lays out … Read More
November 27, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Edward Scolnick led the development of dozens of medicines while at Merck; his current mission pits him against time and the mental illness of millions, including his son Dr. Edward Scolnick figures he needs five, maybe … Read More
November 22, 2024
(Associated Press) – Four cities, spanning Portland suburbs and rural and coastal towns, added new voter-approved prohibitions for the federally illegal compound in the Nov. 5 election. A dozen other communities that approved two-year moratoriums in 2022, when a majority … Read More
November 22, 2024
(Plough) – A husband caring for a loved one with dementia finds dark valleys, but also limitless spiritual resources. Sherwin B. Nuland, MD, in How We Die, describes the experience of dementia caregivers as “spiritually exhausting.” At times, that was my … Read More
November 21, 2024
(New York Times) – Experts are puzzling over which interventions are saving lives. The evolving illicit supply itself may hold important clues. After years of relentless rises in overdose deaths, the United States has seen a remarkable reversal. For seven … Read More
November 21, 2024
(NPR) – Nearly 15 years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Georgia for unnecessarily segregating people with developmental disabilities and mental illness. The state settled the case and agreed to a massive overhaul of the services it offers to … Read More
