Media

Against a backdrop of mental health crises from mass shootings to an increase in suicides, there's an unprecedented demand for psychiatrists, new data and physician recruiters report.

For years now, the U.S. health system has lacked enough primary care providers like family physicians and internists as more Americans with a pent up demand for treatment gained the ability to pay under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, insurers emphasize value-based care that encourages patients to get better treatment upfront in a doctor's office.

After nearly a year of study, a civilian oversight panel Thursday recommended Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell sharply increase the number of special teams that respond when deputies need help in the field dealing with individuals with mental health problems.

Exercise may help the brain to build durable memories, through good times and bad.

Stress and adversity weaken the brain's ability to learn and retain information, earlier research has found. But according to a remarkable new neurological study in mice, regular exercise can counteract those effects by bolstering communication between brain cells.

LONDON — A vast research study that sought to settle a long-standing debate about whether or not anti-depressant drugs really work has found they are indeed effective in relieving acute depression in adults.

The international study - a meta-analysis pooling results of 522 trials covering 21 commonly-used antidepressants and almost 120,000 patients - uncovered a range of outcomes, with some drugs proving more effective than others and some having fewer side effects.

Puerto Rico is having a serious mental health crisis.

The number of people on the island who have reportedly tried to kill themselves since Hurricane Maria hit the island has more than tripled. From November 2017 through January 2018, a crisis hotline run by Puerto Rico's Department of Health received 3,050 calls from people who said they had attempted suicide. That's an astounding 246 percent increase compared to the same time last year.

The conversations I had with the victims and first responders in the wake of last week's shooting in Parkland still haunt me. My heart breaks for those who were gunned down by this mad man. It is a loss that will torment the families for the rest of their lives. It will torment all those who witnessed this horrific tragedy.

I traveled to Broward County last week and met with first responders who were on the scene, including the Coral Springs Parkland Fire Chief Frank Babinec. They spoke candidly about their experiences. In some cases, there were kids pulling out kids.

President Trump may be convinced that mental illness, not guns, is responsible for horrific mass shootings like the one that killed 17 people Wednesday at a Florida high school. But his actions over the past year seem to contradict those spoken concerns.

In an early morning tweet Thursday, the president chided the Florida community for ignoring what he said were warning signs surrounding 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who has reportedly confessed to the deadly shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Grief counselors are always made available to help students when there is a traumatic event at a school, such as this week, when a gunman entered a Florida high school and fired a military-style assault weapon, killing 17 people. While health experts say counseling after a tragedy is vital, too many schools don't have anywhere near enough health professionals to help students before the catastrophes.