American teens' mental health crisis: What's driving this?

A recent CDC report highlights what mental health experts have been ringing the alarm over: Teens, and specifically girls, are suffering.

US veterans in suicidal crisis now eligible for free emergency care at any facility

Veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system for the new policy, which includes inpatient care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days.

Seattle Public Schools' lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal road

Like the tobacco, oil, gun, opioid and vaping industries before them, the big U.S. social media companies are now facing lawsuits brought by public entities that seek to hold them accountable for a huge societal problem — in their case, the mental health crisis among youth.

DSHS changes may mean people needing mental health services could be released from jail

Hundreds of people across the state sit in jail waiting for mental health services from the state, and now officials with the Department of Social and Health Services say they may have to start refusing some patients.

Calls, texts and chats pouring into new 988 mental health helpline

The 988 mental health helpline has quickly expanded its reach in the six months since it launched — with over 2 million calls, texts and chat messages pouring in.

Study: Children who habitually check social media may experience major brain changes

Researchers said habitual social media checking in teens is impacting their brain development at a time when they're already going through "significant structural and functional reorganization."

TikTok boosts posts about eating disorders, suicide, report says

The findings come from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which created TikTok accounts for fictitious young people living in the U.S., Britain, Canada and Australia.

Having a strong sense of purpose in life may help you live longer, study suggests

The study found an association across race/ethnicity and gender, but women may benefit slightly more from the health-protective benefits of having a sense of purpose.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson opens up about mental health: ‘You gotta ask for help’

"As guys, we have a tendency to not ask for help. Ego gets in the way, and we start stuffing things deep down in our guts, which is not a good thing," Johnson said.

Utah man jumps into icy river to save woman attempting suicide

“I told her ‘I don’t know who you are, but I’m here and I love you, and I’m going to help you,’” Dane Entze said.

Study finds spike in children going to ER with suicidal thoughts — even before pandemic

Before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on mental health, there was already a surge of youth visits to emergency departments for suicidal thoughts between 2016 and 2019, the study says.

Synthetic 'magic mushroom' drug may ease depression in hard-to-treat patients, study says

A single dose of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in “magic mushrooms,” was found to help some people who previously had gotten little relief from standard antidepressants.

Forcing a smile might put you in a better mood, research suggests

The new research, led by a scientist at Stanford, may tell us “something fundamentally important” about how human emotions work.

Seeing, listening to birds can improve mental health, study finds

In addition to helping people, scientists say they are also advocating for the protection of the environment and wildlife.